Where Loyalty Lies
by Egyptian Kiss
Summary: When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion- Full Sum Inside.
1. Chapter One

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter One

Terminal City had that smell about it- that unusual reek of street, sweat, and resistance. Alec had grown accustomed to the odd odor, but the sights of transgenic roaming free and unchecked, except by those of Max's ranks, was an entirely different adjustment to accept. Nothing in TC had been the same since the day Max had raised their flag and declared war against specie-ism. Logan- eyes only- had been a great help for a while, but when he realized that his relationship with Max was not going to go any further- he pulled back. The cable hacks, the upstart speeches, the pompous "I will save the world" spiels- they all ended. He disappeared from Terminal City and the last Max had heard of him; Logan was with Asha and the S1W in Boston.

Alec thought the whole Logan thing was better where it was than where it could be; he was an unnecessary complication that required too much attention, and far too much babying. Max had been withdrawn at first and Alec had backed off, but when she refused to go on missions because of it- he had come forward and laid it out flat; get over it and get back to the mission.

Max had rolled her eyes, told him to shut up, and walked out with a slap upside his head. In some ridiculous way, Alec felt he had been the one to get her out of her stasis. Mission for food, fuel, and money were becoming more and more difficult. Mole, Joshua, and the other X operatives were finding it exceedingly hard to get passed barricades and in the underground to make the missions.

It was only a matter of time before the ward was won or lost- and Alec wasn't so sure they were the ones going to win.

"Hey move it," Alec jumped out of the way as a pregnant X6 waddled passed him.

"What's the problem soldier?" She gave him a look like "did you miss the round stomach".

"I'm in labor, now out of the way." It looked like she was perfectly fine, but Alec knew that would not last and again thanked God that his breeding session with Max had been less-than-successful.

Alec made his way to control central, and found it busy as always. Max stood up on the top platform arguing with a blond haired transgenic male. His instincts were immediate: target threat and dispose of it. Max shouted something and then another male X5 stepped in to intercede. Two woman stood off to the side and their stance screamed submissive and prepared for orders.

"Hey Maxie. Need help?" Alec asked, then launched himself to her side over the guardrail.

"Who's this clown?" The blond flicked his eyes up and down, examining Alec and then dismissing him to once again stare at Max with a stern expression.

"Zack, this is Alec, my second in command. Alec, this is Zack, my old CO. And next to him are Krit, Syl, and Jondy. They were in my original unit," Max's expression softened a bit when she mentioned the passed and who they were to her, but when her eyes landed once more on Zack she hardened herself to it.

"Second in command? Max, he's not even in our unit. Give up this war, and dispatch everyone here. It's better that way. At least when they break in here they won't catch all of you," Zack was practically shouting his opinion and Alec thought it was time to shut him up.

"You don't want to be here? Leave. Why are you wasting our time? Maybe for you it's easy to continue to be deserters, but those us who live in the real world know that anything worth having is worth fighting for. You fought to get out in '09, and now that they know about us they want to put you back in a cage, or worse exterminate you. You don't think that's worth fighting for? Fine, then go," Max stiffened beside him as Alec ordered Zack to leave, but Alec stood by his answer.

"You do not understand us. Our unit did what we had to do. Now we have come back for our own. Back down soldier before I have to put you down," Krit spoke up, and Alec had to restrain himself from taking battle stance.

"Krit! Back down before I put _you_ down. This is my second in command. I am glad to see all of you again, but I cannot leave. I cannot keep running from my past and I don't want to anymore. If you want to stay and be apart of my unit once more, then I am here and ready to take you on, but if you think that you can come in here and tell me that I cannot live my life than you have another thing coming," Max told them in no uncertain terms. Jondy smiled at Max and stepped forward.

"I've missed you, my sister. I have heard of all the things that you have put up with, and all the things that you have done for us; I will stay and fight." Jondy took up on Max's side. Syl, the blond on Zack's left, looked at Krit, and silently they communicated and the hard look that appeared on his face told Alec that she, too, was about to join up.

"You helped us once, sister, it's our turn. Whatever you need, I'm here," Syl took up on Alec's left, and Alec watched as the muscle in Krit's jaw worked before he too crossed beside her.

"I do not agree with this line of tactic, Max, but I won't desert my unit when it needs me," He announced. Max had no expression on her face, but Alec could practically feel the hum of her happiness.

Moments passed between Max and Zack, and Alec could feel the tension. "If you hadn't sent word via one of your transgenic, I wouldn't have remembered anything about this war, I wouldn't have remembered you, or any of the others- but I do now. And I know you did it to protect me, to make sure my ignorance of who I am didn't end up with me getting killed, but now that I do remember I cannot condone this. One of the more important rules of Manticore was to get out of enemy territory as fast as you can, now what? You want to sit in the thick of it?"

Max opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off, "I understand your reasoning, but do you think you will win against a world of hate? Think like a soldier, what strategy is best? What statistical possibility that you will win this war?" Zack puyt his hands together in a pleading manner and then looked stone-faced at the others.

"I stand by my decision. War is not about the possibility of winning, Zack. War is about the possibility to change," Max clenched her fists as she spoke, and Alec took an assessment of the situation: Krit, Syl, and Jondy were on her side, she had a good argument, and they were on her turf; technically this would be the point where cocky, overly-assured Max reared her head, instead she was standing as though she was in enemy territory facing defeat.

"Just give it a few days- think it over before you make a decision, okay?" Max beseeched, her face doing nothing to hide how strongly she felt.

"Two days and I'll have an answer. Now where are the barracks?" A broad smile spread across her face, and Max turned to Alec.

"Take Syl and Jondy over to the main out-apartments; show them the washrooms, the rest areas, and the training centers. I want them prepped for the next mission. Krit will have to house nearby. I'll take care of Zack. Meet me later," She didn't specify where to meet her, but Alec nodded and led Krit, Syl, and Jondy toward the abandoned low-rise on the sound end of TC.

"So how long have you known Max?" Krit questioned.

"Since she was recaptured by Manticore and we were paired as breeding partners."

Jondy and Syl shared a look while Krit laughed.

"I'm sure that went well," Jondy said with a smile to Alec. She had a beautiful face- Manticore perfect much like the other X operatives. Her high cheekbones and lush lips were flattering with her symmetrical facial structure. The olive-like complexion of her skin only added to her beauty and her long hair reached down to mid-thigh. For all her features though, she still seemed to be missing something. Alec didn't know why he always felt this way about women, but he just couldn't seem to picture anything lasting with any of them.

"Yeah well, I will definitely never forget it, that's for sure. She makes one hell of a first impression," Alec said.

"So, you're what Ben would have looked like all grown up, huh?" Jondy seemed to be staring at Alec and his stride lessened slightly.

"Yeah." Something passed over her face and Jondy's eyes traveled to the floor only to settle there as they continued toward the low-rise. Alec stopped at their final destination, did a run down of what every room was and who slept where. Before he left, Alec set them up in the workstation and took off; he was headed back to meet Max.

When he reached control central, Alec noticed an off the side bet going on between Mole and another Nomaly. "Hey fellas, where's the action?"

Mole twisted to face Alec and swept the cash onto the floor beside them- hoping he hadn't seen. "Nothing doing, Alec. So any idea when the next mission is and who's on the roster?" For a covert operative specially trained, Mole lacked subtly.

"Sure it's in a week. Some new arrivals will be scouting though, looks like you have no need to worry." Alec bent down and swept up the cash, "Hey look, it must be my lucky day- someone dropped their cash." Alec smoothly folded it and put it in his pocket before patting it and smiling.

"Yeah, lucky," Mole said. He and his companion shared a disgruntled look, but neither expressed their upset. "I don't trust anyone new. Where did they come from? How do we know they aren't undercover for White, or the Ordinaries?"

"They're the '09ers, a part of Max's original unit."

Mole shook his head in distrust, but then shrugged, "Hell, it can't hurt having a few more hands. Guess if Max wants them around we have to deal."

Alec nodded patronizingly and then turned away to where he hoped he would find Max.

She sat in one of the rolling chairs, making every effort to connect to a proxy server, "Fucking Logan,". Max slammed her fist down on the table and the structure started to snap in half. With blurring speed, Alec held the table together and kept the contents from falling.

"Easy Max, what are trying to do, kill our operation?" Alec joked.

She reached up and smacked the back of his head before getting up and storming away. Alec whistled to a nearby X6 and then took off after Max once the table was secure.

"Hey hothead, hold up a second. What is your problem today?" When Alec snaked a hand out to grab Max's forearm, he found himself thrown over her shoulder and on the ground in front of her, "God Max, chill out."

"You chill out."

"Hey you were the one who wanted me to come by later. You don't want me here? Fine. I'm gone." Alec was on his feet and moving towards the nearest exit when he was halted by a petit figure blurring to a stop before him.

"Look, I'm sorry. I am not in the best of moods today. I've been getting a lot of whack shit from Zack today and Logan has been untraceable. Let's go to the training center; I need to burn off some steam." Max puckered her full lips in agitation and moved toward the same exit Alec had been headed for.

"Sure thing, Maxie."

They walked in silence until they reached the gym area and then they broke apart to run individual laps. After five miles each, they took a break, grabbed some water and Max cooled down enough to discuss what she had planned.

"I didn't know that my unit was going to show up. True I sent a retrieval team to get Zack, but that was more for his safety than my actual need to have him here. They are good soldiers- they will be sent on important missions, and I do not want to hear a word to naysay them, or me. The dealio with Logan isn't as easy. I've been trying to get a hold of him- we need his technology to do some cable hacks of our own, but now that he dropped off the map it's been a little difficult." Max shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"I figured as much. What's the metal-head's problem?" Alec asked, referring to Zack with a roll of his eyes and a quelling of his feral instincts. Everything in him screamed out that Zack was trouble and things were going to become complicated and quickly.

"Hey watch it. That's my brother, not to mention the fact that I have his heart beating in my chest. If it had not been for Zack, I wouldn't be here right now, standing in front of you." The thought of Max not existing had Alec rethinking his stance on the bulky blond. Max had become one of his closest friends, and not having her around was an unpleasant thought.

"Got it."

Alec watched as Jondy came in and joined the line of sparing partners who were paired off to face off in the main ring. It was a bit of a contest around Terminal City to see who was the strongest and most respected. Alec watched while listening to Max run down the linguistics of a money run to come. The basic get in, get it, and get out speech was recited, and Alec nodded as he watched Jondy take down two X6s and one X7; he laughed out loud when Krit got in the ring and had his ass handed to him.

"She is good, but then Jondy always excelled singularly at physical combat- she sucks at logarithms and strategy; got to hand it to the sister though, she has a way with weapons and her body," Max chimed into his thoughts when she realized he was no longer paying attention.

"You think you could take her down?" Alec flicked his head back in her direction to see her  
shrug in answer to his question.

"Probably, but that's more because I was the uber cocktail back at Manticore."

Max swiveled her chair to face the ring more fully and watched as Syl and Jondy faced off, "That's probably not a good idea."

"What?" Alec asked.

"Jondy kicking Syl's ass in front of Krit. I mean in our unit they were paired," Max said, mesmerized by the symmetry of the fight, and Alec had to admire the way that both women moved.

"Paired?" He hissed out an "ouch" when Syl ate mat, hard.

"With our X5 unit they decided to pair us off by mixing in a single strand of DNA that would make us want to mate one another- each of us has a partner." The granite look on Max's face should have warned Alec off from asking questions, but then he really was not one to take warnings.

"So who was your partner?" The question was irresistible.

"I don't want to discuss that. All I know is that Krit looks like he wants to kill," Max stated with a frown at the corner of her lips, and Alec's brow furrowed.

Krit jumped back into the ring, tossed Syl out- she landed on her feet- and faced off with Jondy again.

"Krit!" Max shouted out to him. He turned to face her; a glare on his face.

"Get your ass out of that ring." Max's procession from her chair to the ring the center of everyone's attention. In addition to the broad smile that swept Jondy's face, Krit worked a muscle in his jaw- Syle stared on from the side; she was urging in a whisper that Krit get out of the ring, and saying how she was fine.

"Have you forgotten how to follow orders, soldier?" With the flex of her eyebrow, Max had Krit hauling ass.

"Come on, little sister. Haven't fought you in years, let's see if I can kick your ass," Jondy called loudly from the ring.

"We always seemed to break even before, why would you think you could now?" Max rejoined.

Jondy merely tilted her head in acknowledgement before getting in fighting stance. Alec admired Max from behind as he made his way to stand ringside with Krit and Syl. Trangenics were placing bets all over the place and Alec thought about grabbing a piece of the action. The X6 taking down the money and the info glanced in Alec's direction- knowing how much of a gambler he was- and Alec smirked.

"Six hundred on Max." The X6 whistled and then held out his hand to Alec for the cash. Grinning now, Alec pulled out the roll of bills he had collected earlier from Mole and his friend and forked it over.

"Pretty sure of her aren't you?" Syl's head was to one side and Krit had an arm around her waist. A measuring expression was facial and passed quickly, but Alec had the feeling his actions were being analyzed Manticore style.

"I have been in the ring with her before; Maxie is about to double my money."

Nothing else was said as Max climbed into the ring.

Max and Jondy circled each other and then stopped. They both kicked out, and then it was a blur of bodies. Occasionally one of them would land a punch and the scene would slow enough to be visible; and the more aggressive Max became the more she dominated.

"Come on Max, kick her ass. Think about how angry you are. Think about Logan, how he left you, how he moved on, how much of a pompous ass he is. Think of the Ordinaries, think of the war- think of everything you are fighting to win," Alec shouted out to Max.

Suddenly, the sound of two bodies slamming together resonated throughout the hall. Max had Jondy pinned to the mat and was wailing away at her face- she pulled back when Jondy stopped struggling and it was official that Max had finished the match; coming out the winner.

"All right Maxie," Alec cheered. Alec collected his cash and met Max and the others at the corner of the ring. Jondy had a bloody nose and a bit of bruising around her collarbone, but she was smiling. Krit and Syl were congratulating Max and Max herself was looking at Alec with a smile, while hugging Jondy in apology.

"Sorry I had to beat you down so hard, but if it makes you feel better you are a worthy opponent." Jondy bumped fists with her and the smile never left her face.

"It's alright, I figured I was done when you put on the speed, you were always faster than anyone in the unit. Good fight." It was weird to watch someone praise the person that just handed them their ass on a silver platter.

"Nicely done." Alec kicked in for the hell of it. Max smiled for a second, and then turned to Krit and Syl.

"You need to watch your attitude about Syl fighting. She is a soldier, she was built to fight, and Syl you need to watch your weak spots; Jondy would've had you pinned with another twenty seconds."

Krit twitched his head, but nodded, and Syl shrugged before linking hands with Krit. Together they headed out to do laps.

"Not bad- you sound like a real CO," Alec jibbed.

"Yeah well, guess there's just some things you can't forget, no matter how hard you try." Max gave a quirk of her lips and then moved on to climbing the ropes.

Alec observed Max as she flew up the netting ropes; his head tilted back to watch her from below. The way that Max moved just enforced the fact that she had cat DNA- the graceful stretching and pulling of her muscles reminded him of a well oiled machine. In a split second decision, Alec smirked and began giving chase- racing her up the ropes and back down; under the wire; over the scaling wall; then proceeded to speed passed her as they broke out of the gym and into the city. Each pushed the other's endurance, Max glanced at him in feline friskiness before cutting out ahead of him and into an abandoned unused building.

Crates and boxes provided them an obstacle course through which to run. Both reached the other side of the room in under a minute, and then broke out through the narrow windows- landing on their feet only to take off without a second glance.

As they drew close to one of the TC perimeter fences, Alec pulled to a sudden stop beside a still Max. Two figures sat on the ground just inside the perimeter fence.

"Name and rank!" Max called out, body instantly on guard.

"X5- 581," The smaller of the two females called, " Max, it's me- Adia."

Max gaped at the name and Alec had to wonder just how much more interesting life was going to get as the two intruders slumped down passed out and bloody.


	2. Chapter Two

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Two

Someone was hovering over her. That's the first thing Liz felt as she came awake. Her body was sore everywhere, covered in cuts and dirt and God knew what else. The trip from Roswell had been like trying to claw her way out of hell- with a passenger along for the ride. Something had tipped White off. Someone had left it slip that she, Liz Parker, was more than just a small town girl. Someone had ruined her life.

The hand hovered closer to her face, and Liz couldn't take it. Her hand came up in front of her and snatched the arm passing over her out of the air in a crushing grip. Opening her eyes, it registered that she was on a cot in a run-down building with poor ventilation, and people milling about everywhere.

Meeting the eyes of the young bald boy in front of her, Liz realized she was still holding him in what had to be a very painful grip. Releasing him, she sat up.

"Where is Maria?" Liz asked. That was currently the most important thing.

"The Ordinary that came with you? She's resting over there," the bald boy replied, pointing in the general direction of "over there".

Forcing her weak, battered body to rise, Liz pushed off the cot and rose to her full height, fighting the nausea she felt rising. The boy soldier in front of her stood pin straight when Liz managed to get to her feet, and looked off behind her to signal for someone else to join them.

"Adia," Max called, coming to stand beside her. Liz stiffened when Max hugged her- it had been a long time since they had last seen each other, and the pain that wracked her body at the contact was severe.

"I go by Liz now," Liz answered her, letting her arms come up to embrace her sister.

"What happened to you? We all thought you were dead," Max queried, letting Liz go to study her.

"I'll explain later. How is Maria doing?" Liz wanted to forgo explanations of her torturous childhood.

"The one that was with you? She's…not in stable condition. The doctor said she might lose the baby," Max told her as they walked to Maria's side.

Maria lay flat on the bed, barely breathing, barely moving at all. Tubes, needles, and machines were hooked into almost every available orifice. Her skin was pale, her usually full, pouting lips were cracked and dry- chapped to the point of peeling. Liz stroked the long blond hair that looked dull and unhealthy, pulled off to the side and out of the way. Veins ran in thin blue lines along her eyelids, and her cheeks were sunken in. Liz noticed how drawn and withered her best friend had grown, and a part of her wished she could take Maria's place in that moment, be the one on the verge of death.

"How do you have all of this? I mean, how did you get all these medical supplies?" Liz whispered, her voice soft as she watched Maria's chest rise and fall with the aid of artificial oxygen.

"We get what we need," Max said evasively.

"How long have I been out?"

"A day," Max answered.

Liz processed that information and sat on the floor beside Maria's cot- her hand holding Maria's. It had been three months then. They had been running for three months. Max and the others had left a week before White and his men moved in on them. It probably wouldn't have mattered if they had stayed- other than to get them killed too.

Liz remembered coming home and seeing her adoptive parents strung up on the ceiling- it had been a message. She had shut down when she realized what was happening, that they had found her. It had been a blur of events that followed: packing a duffle; escaping off her balcony; running to warn the Sheriff and Kyle only to find them with the chests cut open and hooked up to machines, prolonging their lives and ensuring they felt the pain; shutting off their life support machines to let them die in peace; running to Maria's; fighting off White's agents; grabbing Maria and running, unsure where Ms. Deluca was- it had been a long series of events played out in soldier mode.

Telling Maria had been hard, Liz thought. Words had failed her at first. How did you tell someone you were a genetically engineered super-soldier? When the words finally had come, Maria had taken it all in calmly. She asked questions. A lot of them. And then she had hugged Liz and told her that she was still her best friend, and if it hadn't been for her she would have been killed.

It hurt looking at Maria. It hurt knowing her life was barely hanging on because Liz hadn't been able to get enough supplies for them. It hurt more looking at Maria's swollen belly and knowing a child was growing there that might not survive.

"How far along is she?" Max asked gently, and Liz realized she had been quiet for a long time.

"Three months," Liz answered, kissing the back of Maria's hand in apology.

"What about the father? Where's he?" Max asked.

"I don't know," Liz replied, and honestly she didn't. She didn't know if Max and the others  
had made it to Antar, or even if they had survived breaking through Earth's atmosphere.

"Adia-"

"Call me Liz."

"Liz, you need to rest. You have two broken ribs, multiple contusions, and an infected wound on your leg- not to mention a number of cuts and bruises," Max informed her, urging her to rise.

"By all rights, you shouldn't be standing," came an unfamiliar voice. Liz turned to examine the older woman. Beautiful, exotic looking, and quite clearly Manticore.

"Who are you?" Liz questioned, ignoring Max's urging.

"You don't recognize me, baby sister?"

"No."

"Liz, this is Jondy," Max introduced, finally managing to get Liz to her feet.

"Liz?" Jondy asked, perplexed.

Liz studied Jondy, second oldest in their group only to Zack. She was nothing like Liz had pictured- and she had pictured all of her siblings, everyday for the last eleven years. The hair that used to be shorn short was long and thick, and her skin had grown darker with age.

"I go by Liz now," Liz told her as she had Max. Jondy hugged her, as Max had, but more gently- more feminine in her touch.

"I'm so glad you're here," Jondy whispered in her ear, and Liz felt an inkling of emotion with two of her sisters beside her.

One of the machines started to beep, unpleasant and high-pitched. Liz turned from Jondy's hug in desperation and saw that Maria's heart was faltering and the breathing machine was working harder to keep her going. The hand in hers twitched and the next thing Liz knew Max was pulling her away so that others could come in and stop Maria's seizing.

"Max, we need help at the main gate!" A smooth male voice shouted from the entrance of the building. "We need everyone up front, the Ordinaries are rushing the perimeter."

Max started to call people to leave, but when some of the medics attending Maria started to leave her side, Liz jerked out of the cold haze she had slipped into.

"Stop! What are you doing? You need to help her," Liz ordered, pushing one of the X operatives back toward the cot Maria was stretched out on, still critically seizing.

"We need them at the main gate," said the same male voice, only closer.

"You don't need all of them," Liz argued, turning to face the man standing there.

"Yes, we do," he was tall and blond and apparently stubborn.

"If my friend dies, I'll kill you," Liz whispered in a deadly voice, her feral nature overtaking  
her sensible one. He had at least a hundred pounds on her, and he was build- she might or might not be able to take him in a fight, but at that moment she could careless.

"Zack, back off. You and you- help her friend," Max ordered, overriding previous orders.

Liz relaxed back into her passively quiet demeanor, but now she was studying the man. Max had called him Zack. As in their CO Zack.

"Max, we need-"

"We need people at the gate, yes I know; but what does your standing here and telling me that do to help this situation?" Max asked, and Liz watched as Zack struggled with himself until he turned cold and stiff and walked out the way he had come. "Jondy, get Krit and Syl, and head to the front gate. Liz get back on your cot."

"But Maria-"

"Will either live or die, but you hovering over her won't change that. Now go. Both of you," Max ordered loudly.

Jondy disappeared with a salute, her face devoid of emotion. Liz watched as Max turned to leave and retreated to her own cot, knowing that if she didn't it would only cause more problems. Glancing over at Maria, Liz knew they didn't need anymore problems.

The bald boy from earlier stood by the side of her cot, and Liz wondered just how much he had been through in his young life. She guessed that he was about seven, and she remembered that by his age she was a vicious killer- or at least capable of being one. Training- practically from the womb- was harsh and fast and unforgiving. He probably had no idea what a mother was, or how to deal with one if he did. Liz remembered struggling with that one herself.

"What's your name?" Liz asked kindly, wincing as she propped her legs up on the cot.

"I don't know yet," he answered, his eyes turning more human.

"What do you mean you don't know yet?"

"Max told me that I could pick any name I wanted, but I can't decide."

"So what do you I call you until you pick one?" Liz asked.

"X5-992."

"Well, I'm Liz," Liz offered him her hand, and observed his hesitance in taking it before he  
finally mustered up the courage to grip it properly and shake it vigorously.

"How come you aren't at the gate?"

"Max doesn't let anyone younger than thirteen fight. She says that we're kids and we  
deserve to have a childhood. But once in a while she'll let Alec take me on a raid," X5-992 informed her.

"Alec?"

"He's Max's second in command. He goes on almost every raid," the boy told her, his eyes  
shining with admiration.

"How old are you?" Liz questioned, turning to lay on her side so she could look up at him.

"I'll be nine next month," he said.

He didn't look nine, but Liz didn't say that out loud. Growing up, she hated it when people  
would guess her age and it would always be at least a year younger than she actually was. Growing up was hard enough without people reminding you how slow the process is.

"How old are you?"

"My birthday just passed last week, I'm seventeen," Liz confided. She remembered huddling  
down in some basement as Maria sang to her over a Little Debbie.

"That's old," he said before he realized how it had come out. Liz laughed and eventually he joined her.

"Not as old as Max. She's twenty-two," said Liz.

"I know, a lot of people here are old…er." Obviously the last was tacked on for her benefit, and Liz smiled, warming up to the child.

One of the transgenic that had been working on Maria came over to her, and Liz held her breath. He didn't have an expression on his face to indicate sadness or joy, just that he was intent on speaking with her.

"The Ordinary is fine. She'll stable now, and so is her baby."

"You're sure?" Liz questioned, and watched as the man became irritated.

"Yes, I'm sure. I know how to do my job," He huffed. He began to walk away and Liz bit  
back the sarcastic remark she had at the ready.

"Is the Ordinary your friend?" X5-992 asked, looking at her curiously.

"Yes, and her name is Maria," Liz told him. She knew it had to be a foreign concept for him  
to understand: friends. More importantly, friends with an Ordinary. It had been a hard concept to grasp for Liz, and that had been before the Ordinaries became the enemy.

"Did you have other friends?"

"Yes, I had a group of them," Liz answered, reflecting back on just a few short months ago.  
Things had been messed up after the whole Future-Max thing, but at least she had still been around the people she loved. Now she was, Liz thought with pause. Technically she was still around people that loved her, people that had even loved her longer- but it was different. It had been a long time since she was around Manticore's finest- and it was weird to be back.

"Can you tell me about them?"

Liz shared with him her memories. From the time when she was eight going on nine and the Parkers had taken her in. Alex, Maria, Kyle, Max, Michael, and Isabel- she went into great detail about each of them; leaving out the more extraterrestrial facts. She realized as she described them how much they sounded like characters from a book, fictional in their uniqueness, and colorful in their passions. By the end of her reminiscing, Liz felt the pangs of sadness that came with losing almost everyone that  
cared about her.

"I like Michael. He sounds like a soldier," X5-992 said, his face fixed in a fascinated stare.

"He could have been. He knew how to handle the tough stuff and he always put his unit first." Which was true to an extent, Liz thought. He had his moments of weakness, namely Maria, but when it came down to it, he had left with the others.

"I think I like that name. Michael," he announced.

"That's what you want your name to be?" asked Liz.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Call me Liz. And it's very nice to meet you, Michael," Liz replied. It sounded weird rolling off her tongue. The boy beamed at her though when she used it, so Liz pretended that it didn't make her uncomfortable.

There was a commotion outside of the building, and Liz turned her head to see Max and a number of others coming in. Three or four wounded soldiers were carried in, place on cots while med-trained transgenics raced back and forth- giving orders and following procedure.

Liz turned back to see that Michael was standing in salute, not saying anything. Obviously he had reverted back to submissive mode. It was hard to just lay on the cot while unknown soldiers raced around the room, and Liz observed that many of them regarded her with distain.

Max took up a seat on the cot next to her, and Liz saw her arm was bandaged from wrist to elbow.

"Report," Max ordered the closest soldier that looked capable.

"The front gate had been secured. Four wounded. One dead. The Ordinaries have retreated. Damage to the main gate is being repaired. All perimeter guards have been doubled up, Ma'am," came Max's answer.

"I want a report every three hours. Tell Mole to rework the money run- I want it to be clean. Alec is to report to me. Dismissed."

It was an odd thing watching Max give orders. She had always been considered the most fragile of them all- even above Liz who was the youngest. It was most likely because Zack had always had a weak spot for her, but also because of the seizures.

"How's your friend?" Max bit out as she readjusted the bandages on her arm.

"Better. Stable. How's your arm?"

"Hurts like a bitch. Why aren't you resting?" Max asked, re-knotting the gauze on her arm.

"I'm laying down. I'm resting," Liz argued.

"You are so stubborn. Almost as bad as Alec," Max muttered, but Liz heard her.

"I feel like you just insulted me," Liz said, and Michael let out an amused laugh from behind  
her.

Both Liz and Max turned to look at him, but his face was as stoic as it had been when Liz last faced him.

"You'll…tolerate Alec. He's a bit of an acquired taste," Max said with a broad smile, all of her perfectly straight teeth showing. It was in that moment that Liz realized just how beautiful Max had grown to be. Her smile was infectious in its simplistic joy and Liz returned it.

"How soon do you think you'll be able to train?" Max asked.

"Soon. A day, two tops. I heal very quickly," Liz responded. Max would assume it was due to  
her transgenic DNA, but in truth after Max healed her, Liz found that all wounds she received patched  
up at almost twice the speed they had before- which was saying something.

"Good," replied Max, her smile fading a bit. "Are you going tell me what happened? I mean, we all thought-"

"I know what you thought. After what happened to Ethan and Raed, you thought I was gone too. But Lydecker wasn't going to get rid of me that way. He had me operated on, and maybe a week later the gun shot wound to the heart was nothing. He had me put in isolation, then trained one on one everyday for a year," Liz spoke, her voice strong and mechanical.

"You were only six, how did you survive?"

"I don't know. Some kind of genetic reconstruction and a new heart. After a year in training, I was sent on mission with one of the human units that was invading another country. It was successful. I was successful. So when I got back I went through more rigorous training, and then I was sent on five more missions- each time with less backup. When I turned eight I was sent out alone. I made it through three solo missions before I came up with a plan to escape.

"My fourth mission was to kill off two targets in a two day allowance. I made it out on day two and left. I went into deep cover mode and by the time I surfaced I was in Roswell, New Mexico," Liz skipped over the finer points of escaping. She didn't tell Max the torture Lydecker put her through, and she didn't tell Max how close she had come to dying on each mission- it was useless and a part of the past.

"It just doesn't make sense. Why did he send you? You were so young," Max puzzled aloud, and Liz remembered asking herself the same things. And she remembered Lydecker's answer. She was stronger. She was better. After the surgery she was the prodigy he was looking for. "-do you think they're alive?"

Liz looked up, she had missed part of what Max was saying, "What?"

"Raed and Ethan. Do you think they're alive?" Max asked, her face shining with hope.

"Maybe," Liz answered. She hoped so, but she didn't really know. "Who else is here?"

"Zack, you saw earlier. Jondy, too. Krit and Syl. They showed up shortly before you did."

"What about the others? Brin, Tinga?" They had been her closest sisters.

Liz knew when the happiness went out in Max's eyes that they were dead. Her sisters were dead.

"I tried, but they didn't make it out after they were recaptured. We all escaped in '09, but some of us got dragged back. Brin was dying. Tinga's family was held hostage. Manticore got a hold of them and Tinga died right away. Brin was reprogrammed and when Manticore went down, so did she. I couldn't save them," Max whispered.

Liz felt herself getting tired, her body had been through so much and healing always took a little extra out of her. She didn't know what to say to Max. She had lost people too. There had been people she couldn't save, and she knew what Max was feeling- but she couldn't say that. It never helped to say you knew what someone else was feeling, it only made them angry because they usually felt that you were trying to brush it off, or say that it happens in life. And the only thing Liz could think when that happened is that it shouldn't happen.

Max stood up to leave as Liz drifted off, and to Liz it looked like she had the weight of the free world on her shoulders.

A/N: I'll be posting the first 18 chapters to bring everyone up to date. This is a work in progress still, not a fully complete story. I look forward to your reviews. EK!


	3. Chapter Three

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Three

Hitting the mat hard, Alec rolled to his side and waited as the X behind him approached. When the man was close enough, Alec flipped upward in a horizontal roll and as he came down he landed on his feet behind the transgenic, and delivered a seamless round house kick. His opponent hit the ropes of the ring, and his body was perpetuated forward and over the ropes, landing on with a hard 'thwap' against the mats.

"Sorry buddy," Alec called, smirking as he stepped out of the newly made ring and onto the matted floor.

The incident at the gate had left everyone a little on edge. Alec still couldn't believe that the Ordinaries had managed to get through, or that they weren't too terrified to fight them. Following Max's orders not to kill had been hard after one of their own lay lifeless and bleeding on the streets- it had whipped up a frenzy among them. Being a pacifist when fighting a war was not the way to win, Alec thought.

Glancing up at the control platform, Alec saw Max walking around, and asking questions.

"Hey Maxie," Alec shouted. It was always fun to watch her turn red when he used her nickname in front of other people.

Once he was up beside her, Alec took up residence in one of the many rolling chairs.

"Alec," Max said, her voice icy with warning as well as greeting.

Zack stood beside Max and it seemed that they had just been in another argument. How uncommon, Alec thought. Zack had been with them for five days now, and he had told Max he was staying- but that he wanted to be part of the chain of command. That had not gone over well with Alec, but Max had said he would have input.

"All I'm saying, Zack, is that you could have been nicer. That is our sister in the infirmary. She has been through a lot, more than she's saying, and you being cold isn't helping. What is your problem with her?" Alec watched Max rip into Zack, and smiled, crossing his arms behind his head as a cushion.

"Stay out of it Max. You don't know anything," Zack demanded, his voice harder than usual, which in Alec's opinion was saying something.

"Zack-"

"I mean it. If you have a problem with how I'm treating her, I'll stay away," Zack said, leaving in a stiff walk.

"But that won't help either!" Max shouted after him, but he walked on as if she hadn't said anything.

"Man that guy is stubborn. Must be that stick up his-" Alec began.

"Alec. That's enough. Zack just…well I don't know what Zack's problem is right now, but leave it. Things are hard enough around here without you two bitch fighting," Max warned. Alec noticed the tension in her body, and the way she was frowning at nothing and everything all at the same time.

"How's your sister and her friend?" Alec asked. He observed some of the tension ease, and a soft smile light her face.

"Better. Her friend is awake now, but groggy, and Liz is healed well," Max informed him.

"She ever plan to make an appearance outside the infirmary? I mean if she's going to go on missions, chicks got to train right?" Alec questioned.

"She trains," Max defended, glaring at Alec. "She just does it alone, at night. And she can stay with her friend as long as she wants. How would you feel if it was one of us in there hooked up to machines and breathing from tubes?"

Sighing, Alec fought the urge to argue back. Whenever anyone mentioned Liz, or said something about her antisocial habits, Max flipped out. She was protecting the girl as if she were breakable.

"All I'm saying is she can't stay in there forever," Alec replied after a few minutes. He acknowledged the fact that Liz meant something more to Max than the others.

"I know," Max said, softening. "I just don't want to rush her. I don't want to run in the other direction."

"Where would she go?" Alec asked, swiveling in his chair to observe the room in the hustle and bustle of mid-day.

"Back when I knew her at Manticore, Liz was one of our best. She was stealthy, fast, and quiet. If our unit needed to hide, or make a surprise attack we would all turn to her for strategy. And that was before Lydecker did whatever he did to her," Max reminisced, leaning back against one of the tables.

"What happened to her?" Alec had wondered that since Max had told him who the two intruders were. He had asked a million and one questions, trying to glean some knowledge from Max, but she had clammed up.

"We thought she was dead. She was shot through the heart one day. Lydecker had been trying to prove a point to us, and when she had defended one of our own against him, shielding her body in front of Ben, he'd shot her," Max whispered, her eyes unfocused, her mind far away. "I watched, we watched, as she was dragged away. That's what started all of this. She's why we finally decided to leave."

"Didn't you say two other boys were shot in your unit?" Alec asked, his voice softer than normal, he didn't want to snap her out of wherever she was.

"Ethan and Raed. But they were shot in the field; during our missions it was accepted that some of us wouldn't make it out. The way they took Liz was…unacceptable."

A sea of murmurs went up in the room, and Alec turned to face the entrance below. A small lithe figure was walking into the building. Her delicate face was upturned, and Alec felt Max stiffen behind him. It only took a few short seconds for the girl below to take an assessing sweep of the room, and decide to come directly to where Alec and Max were located.

Watching the transgenic, Alec couldn't help but admire her. She was less endowed than most of the females with the Manticore stamp, but her face hit the mark. Pale skin, perfect nose, soft petal-pink lips, and deep soulful eyes. It was a beautiful face, deceptively innocent, and overtly attractive.

"Hi," the girl greeted, her voice gentle.

"Liz is everything alright? Is Maria okay?" Max questioned. Alec was shocked that the demure girl in front of him was the Liz everyone had been talking about.

"Everything's fine. Maria's resting. I just thought…Well you said you wanted me to try and get out more," Liz replied.

"Heya Liz, I'm Alec," Alec announced, introducing himself. It was in that moment that Liz became fully aware of him, and Alec watched as an array of emotions clouded her eyes. Her lips parted in a silent gasp and Alec noticed that her tiny, feminine hands started to shake.

"Yeah, this is Alec. My second in command- I mentioned him," Max said, obviously not seeing Liz's reaction to him.

"You look just like," Liz began, but stopped suddenly, and her eyes shut down- no emotion whatsoever.

"Yeah, Ben, I know," Alec answered, frustrated that that's all everyone seemed to see him for. His double.

"Liz, how do you know what Ben looked like grown up?" came Max's next question. Then it hit Alec at the same time as alarm tensed Liz's petit frame- she was supposed to have escaped before the others, how did she know Ben as an adult.

"I don't. I just guessed because he looks a little like Ben did when he was a kid. Same eyes," Liz explained away, but both Max and Alec picked up on Liz's subtly increased heart rate.

"Yeah," Max said, letting it slid. Alec stared at Liz, trying to figure out what she had to hide.

"It's nice to meet you, Alec," Liz stated, but her straight spine, and still-shaking hands gave her away for a liar. She was unsettled; upset.

"And it's always nice to meet a beautiful woman," said Alec, giving her one of his more charming smiles. She might be a liar, but she was still Max's little sister.

Liz blushed and against her alabaster skin it was stark with contrast. Max started filling Liz in on missions that were being set up, but Liz only had eyes for Alec. The fact that her glances kept touching on him left Alec confused, but unruffled.

Down below there was a disturbance, a couple of transgenics had taken the fight out of the ring, and were causing a few of their more precious pieces of equipment to break. Alec hurtled himself over the guardrail and into the midst of the brawling pair. It was a couple of younger X5s and neither were willing to stop. Alec shouted for Max's help, but she had problems of her own just keeping others from joining the fight.

In a blur of movement, Alec pinned one to the ground, but felt the other attack him from behind in an attempt to get to the other. Suddenly the weight from behind him was lifted, and there was a brutal sound of crunching bone, and a high pitched scream. When Alec had subdued the transgenic in his arms, he turned to see Liz holding the other boy up against the wall five feet from him.

Everyone stopped to watch as Liz held the struggling boy up by his windpipe. His left arm was broken at an odd angle and the bone was sticking out from the skin. His face was red from where Liz had struck him to get him away from Alec. When the boy passed out from lack of oxygen, Liz released him slowly to the ground. It was odd to see someone so small take down a tall, gangly boy of about fourteen.

"Alright, fights over. You know the dealio, get back to work," Max shouted out, and Alec watched as everyone went back to what they were doing, restless but on task.

"You okay, Liz?" Alec heard Max ask as he lifted the transgenic he had been forced to knock unconscious.

"I'm fine. You should get him some help though. I cracked his ribcage, broke his arm, and possibly dislocated his jaw," Liz informed Max. Alec watched as Max lifted the boy up and headed off  
toward the entrance.

Handing the X5 in his arms off to a nearby X6, Alec made his way over to where Liz stood beside the ring, watching two females get into it.

"That was some job you did on that kid. A bit much don't you think?" Alec asked, propping his arm out on top of one of the ropes to the ring, ignoring the fight.

"He wouldn't back down, so I made him back down," Liz told him, her face stoic.

"But the ribs and the arm; were those really necessary?" He was pushing it. She had helped him, and he was pushing her. He didn't know why, but he couldn't help it.

"If they want to fight with the big kids they better be ready to take what comes with it. You're fighting a war, right? And those 'kids' are going out on missions, right? What I did was nothing compared to what White and his agents would do, or any mob of Ordinaries," Liz whispered vehemently, her eyes never leaving the ring, or the blurring figures in it.

Alec stood quiet after that, just watching Liz watch the females. His mind was elsewhere- a million miles away with what could have made Liz the way she was now.

Out of nowhere, Alec was knocked down to the side. One of the transgenic females had hit the ropes right where Alec was standing, and being unprepared as he was, he hit the ground at a roll. He jumped up to his feet a half second later and dusted himself off, ignoring the raucous laughter that went up around the room. He glanced at Liz and saw that she too looked amused, but was holding in any actual sound of happiness.

"You okay?" she asked, biting her lip even as the corners turned up.

"Ah a little female on female action is worth a light hit," Alec answered, smiling devilishly at her.

"A light hit? Wow your balance must suck then," Jondy said behind them, smiling.

"Well not light, but nothing I can't handle," Alec retorted.

"I'm sure," she patronized. "Hi Liz."

"Hi," Liz replied, shyly tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm glad to see you made it out of the infirmary. You want to give it a try next?" asked Jondy, nodding her head at the ring. Alec wondered if Max had put her up to it, or if Jondy had truly just come to command central coincidentally.

"I hadn't planned to," Liz said.

"Come on, what's a fight after your little warm up earlier?" Alec teased.

Liz seemed to give Jondy the once over, and Alec recognized the way her pupils widened as Max's trademark way of scoping things out. It was a full minute of assessment before Liz conceded. The two females in the ring finished up shortly after the same transgenic that hit the rope- and Alec- was pinned to the ring floor.

"Let's go sister," Jondy stated, launching herself into the ring gleefully- she always seemed to get a high off of fighting.

Ducking into the ring, Liz stretched a bit, rolling her neck and popping her back. The two woman circled each other, Jondy smiling while Liz relaxed- her muscles stretching and then releasing. Alec thought that Liz looked more at peace in the ring than she had anywhere else in TC.

They took off in a blur of bodies, zipping from one side of the ring to another. The sound of groans could be heard as the two collided in the center. Liz did a double back-flip higher than Alec had thought possible, and then landed solidly behind Jondy. Sweeping down, Liz took out Jondy's legs, and jumped out of Jondy's reach as the other X5 went for a take down.

Bets went up all over the place, people cashing their money on Jondy as she held a record of wins against her one loss to Max. Alec thought about betting, but he didn't have it on him, and after one particular incident when he had bet on his word and then 'forgot' about it later- everyone wanted cash up front.

Liz hit the ropes suddenly- visible again- and Alec noticed the way her eyes darkened, her skin turning a paler translucent color, veins standing out in startling clarity. She blurred again and the two woman did a little give in take, until Liz finally slammed Jondy down to the ring floor, and left hooked her with a jarring blow. Jondy lay there for a moment, then sat up with Liz's help. When the two were on their feet, Jondy held her hand to her jaw, but couldn't hold back the violent cough that spat blood on the floor.

"Now that was some female on female action," Alec joked, hiding his shock. Liz's eyes,  
skin, and veins all looked normal again, but he remembered what he had seen.

"You okay?" Liz asked Jondy sending him a 'shut-up' glance.

"Fine. Damn that was some fight. You and Max should throw down sometime. That would be something to see," Jondy laughed, then stopped rotating her jaw a bit to stretch the sore muscles in her face.

"I prefer to train solo- fighting in the ring isn't usually my style," Liz replied, handing a cup of water to her sister.

"Why don't you come with me to visit Krit and Syl- they're dying to see you," Jondy offered, accepting the water.

"I have to get back to Maria," Liz evaded. Obviously she still had issues with being out and about, Alec thought. It was interesting to watch her go from fierce to fretting.

"It's not like Maria's going to get up and walk away," Alec kidded, but shut up in the next second when Liz threw him a glacial glare.

"I've got to go. Thanks for the fight," Liz said, retreating out of the building.

"I know you're trying to be mister congeniality with her, but Liz is different. I mean she was always quiet when we were little, really only opening up when we were alone in our barracks, but she's changed," Jondy said, offering her own opinion.

"What do you think happened?" Alec asked.

"I don't know. She used to be the sweetest among us when we were alone; I almost don't want to know what she went through because for her to change it had be something…massive."

"Max said she took a bullet for Ben."

Jondy got the same far away look as Max, but she didn't say anything. She merely nodded.

"Why? Our instincts are to survive," Alec questioned.

"Adia was that kind of person. Especially when it came to Ben; she was the most responsive during his stories. She always had questions and he did his best to answer them for her, even when in reality, he didn't know either," Jondy responsed, smiling a sadly.

"Maybe that's why he was such a head case; he couldn't stand the fact that she took a bullet for him," Alec offered the idea, thinking that that made the most sense.

"Maybe," Jondy said solemnly, finishing off her glass of water.

"How about me and you go get a drink?" he said. "A nice frothy pitcher of beer to take the edge off?"

"I'm into harder stuff than beer," Jondy whispered, smiling at Alec alluringly.

"Well if you like it hard, I'm sure I can manage that," Alec retorted in a husky voice. He liked Jondy. She was funny, she was direct, and she was sexy. Three qualities he liked in a woman. She wasn't the relationship type, but neither was Alec; one night of fun was always acceptable.

"I'm sure you can," Jondy said back, heading toward the door walking backwards, waiting for him to follow. And with a sexy smirk back at a few eavesdroppers, he did.

A/N: I'll be posting the first 18 chapters to bring everyone up to date. This is a work in progress still, not a fully complete story. I look forward to your reviews. EK!


	4. Chapter Four

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Four

"Liz?" Maria asked groggily, turning her head to face Liz.

"I'm here," Liz replied. She had been sitting beside Maria's bed ever since she returned from her first foray into the mainstream of transgenic activity.

"Are we safe?" It was Maria's first coherent question.

"We are," Liz said, taking up her friend's hand. Maria's color had returned, but she still looked relatively meek.

"And the baby?"

"The baby is fine. How do you feel?" Liz questioned.

"A little numb and tired," Maria answered, turning her head to look at Liz more fully and giving it a squeeze. Liz felt a rush of relief at the knowledge.

"That would be the medicine they gave you, and before you ask, it's safe for the baby."

"Did you find your sister, Max?" Liz watched as Maria's eyelashes fluttered shut and her voice turned exhausted.

"Yes. Just sleep for now 'Ria. We'll talk later," Liz told her, laying Maria's hand down beside her on the cot.

"Okay," came the response, and then Maria was gone, sleeping deeply with long even breaths all on her own.

"Is your Ordinary going to be okay?" came a voice behind her. It was little Michael.

Liz faced him, turning from her place on the cot beside Maria's. Michael had taken to being her shadow around the infirmary, and he asked her to tell him stories constantly. When Liz told him about her past, detailing her life outside Manticore, he would relax and act as if he was like any other child his age should be.

"Yes. And I told you to call her Maria," Liz reproached without anger.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked next, ignoring her attempt to reprimand him.

"What do you mean? I'm fine," Liz responded, eyebrows raised.

"You looked…sad earlier, when you got back," Michael replied. He had gone from stiff and rigid soldier to lax and concerned little boy. The change was not lost on Liz and she remembered everything from the moment she left earlier that morning to the moment she returned.

"I'm not sad. I just had a busy morning," Liz said. She didn't want to go into detail about why, or how she had become upset.

In truth seeing Alec had been like walking through a time portal. He was the spitting image of Ben, and the entire time she was with him her memories played on a reel in her mind- repeating over and over again.

Ben had come to her in Roswell. Not right after the escape, or short years later, but just after Max had healed her. It was late at night and Liz was working out on her balcony when a slight shift from below caught her ear. She had spun around defensively and watched with wide eyes as a man she had never seen before climbed up her ladder and into her private space.

He explained that he had tracked her down, that he had caught wind of the fact she was alive, and he wanted to come for her. When Liz explained that she was with Max and that she was happy in Roswell; he had been upset, angry. He didn't want to leave her alone. He had read the clippings about the shooting and he feared for her- Lydecker could catch her any day with that kind of publicity out there. But she had refused.

In the weeks to follow he had stayed with her, hiding out during the day, and returning to stay with her at night. They spent hours talking; Liz told him about her life and how she had ended up in Roswell and with the people she was with, and he in turn told her about the years he had spent after the escape just trying to blend in- find his place.

Slowly, Liz began to feel for Ben. She remembered the way his voice sounded when they whispered to each other at night. She remembered when he held her after she told him the truth about the shooting. She remembered him consoling her when Tess came to town, and the way he had told her she would survive- that she was soldier, and that she was strong. He had been her rock as the disastrous romance between her and Max panned out.

If he hadn't left, Liz knew she and Ben would have stayed close, but Max stopped that from happening. One night when Liz was waiting for Ben to show up for their evening ritual, Max appeared. He scuttled up the ladder and onto the balcony to profess his love for Liz. It had taken a while, but Liz finally started to accept that Max was destined for Tess. They had got into an argument and that's when Ben showed up. There was a lot of testosterone fueled threatening, and Liz had been the one to break it up.

Max told Ben that this Roswell was his town, and Liz was his girl, and that nothing would stop him from getting what he wanted. Liz knew Max was just jealous, but she had agreed partly that there was a lot of unnatural beings living there, and maybe there were too many. When Liz voiced her opinion to Ben, he asked her to come away with him. But Maria, Alex, Kyle, her parents- they all still needed her, she wasn't ready to leave them.

Ben told Liz that he wasn't staying in someone else's territory and that he would provide for them if she came along. She wanted to, Liz recalled. With everything in her being she wanted to go with him- forget everyone else- and go find the rest of her family. But she couldn't. So he left, and for long days after she been numb.

Max became overtly romantic, singing to her, trying to win her back. Liz felt her heart thump louder and stronger at the memory. Future Max had been the one to finally get Liz to separate from Max- and her heart broke with a finality that pushed her far away from the group. Asking Kyle to do what he did to help push Max towards Tess had been unfair, and thinking about it now, Liz regretted never telling him before it was too late. Nothing could rouse her from the pain she had felt, not until Alex died. Then she had been on a mission to prove that someone alien had done it.

It was during her quest to find answers and look into who could have killed one of her best friends that Liz discovered something. Ben was dead. He was gone for good. The file was of a John Doe in Seattle- obviously a cover story for Lydecker. The picture added to Liz's heartache, and Liz was ready to fall apart. On top of all of that, she found out the truth about Alex's death- Tess had done it. And by the time she and Maria had reached the pod chamber, Max; Michael; Isabel; and Tess were already in the sky, hurtling at top speed toward their home planet.

Shortly after White and his men swooped in, and Liz had taken Maria and run. They had been in seedy back alleys, run down apartment buildings, and dirty bus terminals for months on a zigzagging route to Seattle- to Max and the resistance. It had been many days of cold weather, hot weather, damp weather, and even snow without food and water, and among vile pigs unfit to live before they reached their destination. Scaling the wall with a pregnant Maria was like carrying a struggling hippo out of water during the summer- way to damned hard.

The exhaustion and fatigue had hit the second they landed on the other side of the Terminal City perimeter, and to Liz the sound of Max, and who she now knew to be, Alec speeding toward them had been a godsend. Weakness had settled into her bones and Liz had barely held on for Max to acknowledge her before dropping into unconsciousness.

"When is she going to have the baby?" Michael asked, tilting his head to the side in question.

"About six months," Liz responded, coming out of her reverie.

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl," Liz told him. The medic trained transgenics had let Liz in on that small bit of news two days after their arrival.

"You think she'll be a good soldier?" Little Michael questioned.

Now there was a question, Liz thought. The baby was Michael's and in his own right, Michael was a soldier. Liz recalled the many conversations Liz and Maria had had over the subject of the baby, and whether or not he or she would have powers. Maria was hoping that the baby would be normal, but to Liz the idea of having a defense when growing up in the broken world around them was not so repulsive. It was controlling the baby's exposure of said powers that would be the problem.

"If that's what she wants, I think that the baby- after she grows up- will be a fine soldier," Liz stated, smiling as Michael nodded pragmatically as if that made enough sense for him to accept.

"She sleeps a lot," Little Michael said, pointing at Maria.

"She's been through a lot, and she is carrying a baby," Liz explained. The idea of the baby seemed to intrigue Michael, Liz noticed. He was always asking her questions about Maria, or the baby, or how the baby would be when she wasn't a baby anymore. He was like a constant game of twenty questions, but the second another soldier came close, or walked in, he shut up in a hurry.

"Did you see Max when you went out?"

"Yes."

"Did you meet Alec?" Michael asked more excitedly, eyes shining.

"Yes," Liz answered, looking back down at Maria.

"He's a great soldier," was Michael's proclamation.

"I'm sure," Liz said, still averting her eyes.

"So is Max," Michael stated as an afterthought.

"I know," Liz said. She did know, Liz thought. Max radiated authority and strength. Others admired her, and even when they were alone, Max held a certain amount of readiness. It was something she admired in her big sister, more so because she had a balance.

"She's been sad though, since Logan left," Michael confided. He was particularly observant, even for an X5.

"Logan?" Liz asked, but stopped when she saw Max come into the building. Michael clammed up as usual, and stood up straight.

"Hi Michael," Max said smilingly, rubbing his head for a second in affectionate greeting. "Liz."

"Hi Max," Liz said, watching as Michael saluted them both and then walked away.

"I heard you and Jondy threw down," Max said off-handedly.

"She asked me to join her for a fight," Liz responded a bit defensively.

"Best way to earn respect around here, ring matches are a big deal. Maybe you should exercise during the day more," said Max, joining Liz on the cot.

"Maybe," Liz said flippantly. She didn't want to commit to that- she wasn't big on getting to know other people, she couldn't afford to get close to others, especially in times of war. "Will Maria be alright here in Terminal City? I heard about the health risks to Ordinaries."

"We injected her with an antigen which should keep her body working at optimum levels; as long as she gets one every six months she should be fine," Max answered, looking at the woman in question.

"Good," Liz said, running a hand through her relatively short hair. She had cut it when they went on the run. It had been down to her waist, but Liz had wanted to change it up a bit- throw off suspicion rather than having to dye her hair.

"What was up with you and Alec earlier?" Max questioned, cutting through the frivolous pleasantries.

"What do you mean?" Liz evaded.

"I mean, you looked like you saw a ghost," Max rejoined, crossing her arms, and making a stern 'be straight with me' face.

Liz thought about telling her. Max was the closest female X5 to her. They had shared quite a few secrets back at Manticore, and it was a wonder that they had survived so long without having one another to lean on.

"I knew him before I came here," Liz started.

"Alec?" Max asked confused.

"No, Ben. He found me when I was back in Roswell. He came to me because he wanted to protect me," Liz said, mind full of him in many different positions around her room: staring at her pictures, sitting on her bed, hiding behind her door as her dad knocked to come in; they were all so fresh to her.

"I saw him too, but it was right before he…died," Max confessed.

"Things in Roswell weren't right, he couldn't stay. I was the one that sent him away," whispered Liz, clamping down on her emotions. "Maybe if I hadn't he wouldn't have-"

"Liz don't. Ben made bad decisions and he was in charge of that. Manticore really screwed did a job on him. Getting out was hard, he was confused," Max cut Liz off, face fierce with determination and concern.

"I know. He told me that he prayed to the Blue Lady that the rest of us were alright, and that finding me had renewed his faith in her. I guess sending him back out on his own wasn't such a good idea," Liz continued to whisper, forcing herself to remain in control.

"I killed him," Max confessed softly, her voice dropping to Liz's level.

"What?" Liz asked, turning sharply to stare at Max.

"Lydecker was closing in on us, and he had a broken leg- there was no way we could both get out. He asked me to," Max had a sheen of tears in her eyes, and Liz felt for her sister. Tears of her own were starting to rise, but Liz bit them back. She needed to be strong, she needed to rise above weakness.

"He shouldn't have done that to you. But I don't know what I would have done if I was facing a return to Manticore," Liz lied. She knew she would have trembled with fright and sobbed for Max to kill her too. Going back to that nightmare would be a living hell. "You said that Brin wanted to go back?"

"She didn't want to die," Max defended. Liz nodded. Brin had been one of the ones that hadn't been as dead set against Manticore as the rest, she probably could have gone either way with escaping.

"Tinga had a family?"

"Yeah. She even had a son," Max said with a smile, and Liz returned it. Tinga had always  
seemed like the family sort to Liz, not that she displayed any mothering tendencies, it was just the role Liz cast for her in her mind.

"And you took down Manticore?" Liz questioned, the details still a little fuzzy.

"It's more involved than that, but Manticore is gone," Max said, blushing.

"Whose Logan?"

Liz recognized the frozen expression on Max's face as the one she herself had probably worn earlier in the day. Clearly Logan was someone of importance.

"A friend," she finally responded. Liz nodded, not arguing or pushing. "I want you to go on the next mission- we need food. Our storage supplies are running low and despite our surplus of liquor, we lack actual nutrition."

"I'll need a debriefing," Liz answered, going into soldier mode.

"How about I debrief you tonight, over drinks. Maybe we can play a game of pool in the  
abandoned bar that we recently got up and running. You could meet my friends, Sketchy and Original Cindy, maybe even Krit and Syl," Max suggested.

"Have they changed a lot?" Liz had wondered what Krit and Syl were like all grown up. They had been the immature duo that constantly got reprimanded and put through extra training.

"Syl has mellowed out a lot, but Krit still has a hot temper," said Max with a hint of humor in her tone.

"Okay," Liz agreed.

"Maybe I'll get you some clothes too, and a place to stay," Max offered.

"I don't really want to leave Maria, but clothes would be good."

"I have soldiers running security in close rotation, and Maria will be in good care. You should  
really get something more comfortable than a cot to sleep on," Max argued, standing.

"And what if Zack comes back and demands everyone run off to do whatever it is he thinks is important?" Liz countered, standing to face Max.

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen. He didn't mean it the other day; he just gets carried away when it comes to security. He's not exactly happy with the fact I'm fighting this war," Max informed her, and Liz paused. That sounded an awful lot like her old CO.

"His reservations aside, Zack should have realized it was wrong to deprive someone of medical attention. He's prejudiced against anyone he doesn't consider in his unit, or of his kind," Liz accused, her voice gaining in volume.

"He has his orders. And I don't want to make this an order, Liz, but it's not healthy for you to stay cooped up in here. Just stay in one of the low-rises. Or train during the day. Show me that I don't have to worry about you, soldier," Max said in a dressing down. Liz clenched her fists, but shut down her irrational anger.

"I'll start training, but I want to stay here in the infirmary until Maria is able to go with me," Liz answered, her voice cold.

"Fine," Max responded, strained. "And Liz, I really am only trying to help you. You're my baby sister, and I can't say that about anyone else."

With that Max left to get Liz clothes and tell the others to meet at the bar later that day. All Liz could do was sigh in resignation.

A/N: I'll be posting the first 18 chapters to bring everyone up to date. This is a work in progress still, not a fully complete story. I look forward to your reviews. EK!


	5. Chapter Five

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Five

The cute transgenic that was volunteering to help run the bar brought them another round of drinks, Alec noticed. The idea of volunteering in the bar was entice, Alec though; there were plenty of women around, lots to drink, and a bunk to crash down on in the back room.

"Eight," Jondy announced, slamming back another Tequila shooter. Alec waved his beer in salute, and took a long pull.

Transgenics, nomalies, and the select few Ordinaries allowed in TC gathered at the bar almost every night since they got in up and running. Booze was the single medium that everyone had in common. When the bar was open, the people were happy.

"So you grew up in Manticore, right? You made it passed group core training?" Jondy asked, signaling for another round.

"Yeah," he answered, not particularly interested in rehashing the 'good old days' at Manticore.

"And you went solo missions?" Alec heard her ask, but at that moment the doors opened, Max and her usual group of drinking buddies walked in, and surprisingly- Liz.

"What?" Alec asked dumbly, coming out of his distraction.

"I asked if you went on solo missions," she replied, shooting back another shot.

"Uh huh," Alec responded. He glanced down into the pitch of beer he had been steadily  
drinking since they arrived an hour before, and realized that he was almost out. "I'll be right back."

Getting up, Alec wended a path to the bar, avoiding a number of full tables, and stopping at the bar, "Another pitcher."

The volunteer behind the bar was a nomaly with gray skin, slits for eyes, and a bald head- clearly a special covert designed for sensory deprivation while out on mission. Alec nodded back and smiled as another pitcher landed in front of him on the bar, "Thanks buddy, this is for you," Alec said, slipping a twenty onto the bar.

As he turned to go, Alec practically slammed into Max, barely keeping a hold on his newly filled pitcher.

"Nice running into you, Maxie," Alec said in jest, moving as Max scoffed, rolled her eyes, and then put in her own order.

"I see you and Jondy are getting to know each other," Max replied, leaning her elbows back on the bar and staring at Alec like he was guilty of something.

"I always try to make the new ones feel welcome," he responded, turning to wink at Jondy, who had realized he was gone and turned to scan the room for him; she winked back and went back to her shots.  
"That's fine. Make Jondy feel welcome, she's a big girl, but refrain from making any of my  
other siblings feel welcome." Alec heard the warning in Max's voice, and thought it was a little subtle for Max's usual taste, but when he glanced around, he saw that Liz was close by at a pool table, playing  
against Sketchy.

"You have nothing to worry about, I'm not into blonds, so Syl's safe," Alec rejoined, and then walked off with the pitcher of beer in hand, and a smirk on his face at having gotten the last word.

"Took you a while," stated a semi-buzzed Jondy as Alec took his seat.

"I was having a nice chat with your sister, Max," he replied.

Sudden dawning lit Jondy's face, and Alec watched as she twisted around in her seat to stare at Max and her group.

"We should go join them," Jondy suggested, already getting to her feet.

"I thought tonight would be better if it was just you and me," tried Alec, in an attempt to deter what was probably inevitable.

Jondy leaned forward, over the table, and placed an open palm against his chest, then gripping his shirt to pull him forward. They met in a rather heated kiss: full of liquor, sexual tension, and general friskiness.

"We have all night," Jondy responded after ending the brief, but intimate kiss. She led the way to the currently occupied pool table, and took a seat next to Max.

"Hello ladies and Sketchy. Nice night for a pool game," Alec said, leaning against the table, and picking up a ball that Liz had been about to aim for. "Sketchy, my man, what do you say to ten bucks a ball?"

"Excuse me, but we're in the middle of a game," Liz said, her voice finely edged with anger and warning.

"Oh right, sorry," Alec replied innocently, dropping the ball back on the table only to have it scatter and send balls flying in opposite directions. He felt Liz's glare on him, but ignored it in the dim lighting of the bar.

"Alec, man, I was winning," Sketchy whined.

"Yeah, winning if you were playing another game," Original Cindy jumped in. "Pretty boy, you are walking thin ice; I had money on that game."

"Sorry OC," Alec said. He peered over at Max and Jondy, and the two seemed to be entrenched in discussion. "How about that game, Sketch?"

"Nah, man I'm done," Sketchy answered, dropping down in a seat beside OC.

"How about you, Liz?" He watched her fidget for a second and shake her head.

"I don't have money," Liz replied.

"Hey don't worry about it boo, I'll spot you," OC offered. Apparently Liz was popular with the Ordinaries, Alec thought.

"And I'll even bet on you," Sketchy said, plopping down ten bucks. Obviously he had little faith in Liz.

"How about it Liz?" Alec asked again. She was torn, he could tell, but then she nodded, and Alec smiled. "I'll rack them up, you can break."

"Hey OC put me down for fifty on Liz," Max called out. Alec couldn't believe she would downsize his abilities that way.

"Nice Max, real nice," Alec murmured, and rolled his eyes when she smiled broadly at him.

It was an easy game of eight ball. Liz broke well, which surprised Alec. They took their turns, Alec playing it light to give her some chance at hope. Liz did well, he thought, when she did a  
particularly hard skip trick off the side. She began to sink ball after ball, and Alec scratched his ear in irritation, masking it with a fake smile every time she glanced his way, or he heard OC or Sketchy shout out an encouragement.

Finally, Liz missed one. Alec grabbed his pool stick back up from where it sat against the corner of the table, and took his turn. He lined up his shot, ready to start his comeback when he felt someone brush up against him from behind, and he completely missed his mark.

Turning to face the person responsible, Alec noticed Liz a few feet behind him.

"Sorry, I was trying to get out of the way," she responded, a little too innocently for Alec's taste, but he shrugged it off, and waved a hand to show that the table was hers.

It took three more shots, and Liz had polished the game off with an astounding win. Alec could not believe it. He stood there for a good ten seconds after, just staring at the table. It was when OC snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention that he came out of it.

"Come on boo, cough it up," OC held out her hand.

Alec reached into his back pocket, pulled out his bursting wallet, and begrudgingly handed over a hundred and fifty dollars.

"Here you go sugar, a little money for the pocket," OC congratulated, handing over Alec's newest ring match winnings to Liz, who was smiling a small smile that lit up her face in a way he hadn't see before.

"Thanks," Liz said.

"Hey little sister, where'd you learn to play like that?" Jondy asked, breaking up her conversation with Max.

Liz hesitated, "A friend." Another half truth, Alec thought.

"Alec, I think Liz did you a favor," Max said, smiling like the cat that got the cream.

"How's that Maxie?" asked Alec, deliberately using her nickname, knowing what she was going to say next.

"Well now you and your ego can leave at the same time," she said, and the others had a laugh.

"Good game," Liz said, holding out her hand to Alec with that same small smile that was twisting his gut.

"You have a beautiful smile," Alec said. He watched her turn pink and smile a little bit more; she seemed to be easing up around him. He turned to see Max glaring at him, and he was thankful  
transgenic eyes couldn't kill.

"Seems to me that my buddy, Alec, here is having an off night. I think I'm ready for that game now," Sketchy announced, clapping Alec on the back.

Fresh meat, Alec thought, and he smiled. "Sure thing, Sketch."

Beers went around the table, and Jondy continued to do her shots, a little water in between  
as per Max's orders.

"But transgenics have to work twice as hard for a buzz, Max," Jondy said, sipping her water with a grimace.

"With the way your throwing them back, I have feeling you have a buzz," Max replied.

"I certainly wouldn't take the lady in a drinking contest," Sketchy added, drinking his beer, and frowning as Alec sunk another shot.

"How come you ain't touched your beer, sugar," OC asked Liz. It was weird, Alec thought, distracted from his shot. Liz kept turning down beer after beer in favor of a coke.

"I'm underage," Liz said, but he knew it was an excuse.

"If you can fight a war, you can take a drink," Alec stated, making his shot with a 'yes' to Sketchy's 'no!'.

"Yeah, Liz, we're not going to begrudge you a beer," Sketchy said, handing over his money to a beaming Alec.

"I'm fine," Liz replied, taking another long drink from her coke.

"Come on baby sister, I'll drink you under the table," Jondy offered, slamming back another shot.

"No, you're done, and Liz can drink whatever she wants," Max announced; her way of offering without making Liz feel like she had to take a drink. Alec didn't know what was between Max and Liz, but he thought it was off how Max seemed to step in when it came to Liz- over all others.

"Boo's got a straight edge, I like it," OC stated, slinging an arm over Liz's shoulders.

Alec noticed that Jondy had a thing for liquor, and couldn't help but chuckled when Max swooped in to tell the waitress her sister had reached her limit. The X5 took off for the bar without an backward glance, and Max took Jondy's shot for her.

"Tequila?" Max questioned, eyebrows raised.

"I like it, it has bite," Jondy responded, eyes a bit glazed with an unconcealed buzz.

"Bite, huh?" Alec said with a smirk, pulling her closer with an arm around her waist.

"OC doesn't need to see this. Game of pool, Max?"

That got Alec's attention, Max never played pool anymore. She was always way more serious than she should be, and it was rare to see her indulge in something other than a ring match, or a mission.

"I got a long day tomorrow; I should probably head out," Max started.

"I want to see you play," Liz opened her mouth in the first statement of the evening that wasn't necessary, or a polite response. In fact, it was the first request that Alec had ever heard her make. "And you still have to debrief me on that mission."

"You want me to play?" Max asked, her eyes connecting with Liz's. Liz nodded, and Alec wondered why she was pushing. "A'ight."

Original Cindy went about racking up the balls, and laughing at Sketchy as he tried to juggle two of them and ended up getting hit with one. Liz took a seat next to Jondy, who had slipped out from under his arm at the prospect of the game, and the details of the next run.

"The only source of food nearby is the Ordinaries market, but we can't get out there without being exposed because of the hover drones which now have thermal scanners. Because our body's core temperature is higher than that of a human, we're easily targeted. The dealio is the market's shops all get shipments from the harbor, not far from the market, but far enough that hover drones are fewer.

"White and his cult bred assassins rely on the drones to figure out when and where we are; if we can hit the loading dock before the drones catch a shot of us, we can get new food, and maybe some clothes. I'm sending you out with a team of seven other X5s and three nomalies. This shipment is important, and it arrives day after tomorrow. Alec, Jondy, you two are up for this one too," Max detailed, watching as OC took her turn.

"Who else is going?" Alec asked. He was used to having certain people with him on missions.

"Cray, Lea, Joshua, Eric, Mole, Krit, Syl, and Zack," Max named off, taking her turn when OC scratched.

"What entrance are we using?" Alec asked again, noticing that Jondy had slipped off to the bar and was flirting with the bartender for more shots.

"I left that up to Mole. He'll be the one leading you in and out. After what happened at the main gate, I told him I wanted a clean run- no more trips to the infirmary for anyone. This should not be difficult, it's a routine retrieval," Max responded. Alec turned to Sketchy and they bet on who was most likely to win- he had some money to win back.

"How often are retrieval missions?" Liz questioned.

She had been quiet for a while, Alec realized. He had forgotten that she was the one to start the conversation. He let his eyes travel over her as Max answered, and noticed that she was wearing some of Max's clothes, which were slightly big on her. A strip of skin was exposed from where the pants hung low on her hips. The shirt was the smallest one Max own, Alec thought, because it fit Liz relatively well. Usually, Alec went for long hair, something to run his fingers through, but the short hair that barely brushed her shoulders was completely arousing to Alec.

"How come you changed your name?" Jondy asked, having reappeared from the bar, drink less- apparently Max's orders were taken even in the bar where everyone was equal.

"What?" Liz asked, eyes coming off the pool table where Max was cleaning up.

"Your name. Why'd you change it? I mean, you were far enough from Manticore that it probably wouldn't have mattered, right?" She asked a lot of questions, Alec thought. He hadn't realized how inquisitive Jondy was until that moment. Even semi-drunk she was popping off questions like no tomorrow.

"The Parkers took me in after they caught me slipping out of their restaurant with some food. My fatigues were torn and I went mute when they asked me who my parents were. I had been undercover so long that I saw everyone as the enemy. The fact that they caught me was an unexpected miracle. They stopped asking me questions eventually, and accepted me into their home. I didn't answer when they asked my name, so they gave me one. It stuck because I figured that if Lydecker did come looking, it was better to have an alias," Liz explained, and Alec felt a rush of heat as she bit her lip in remembrance.

"You have a guy back home that would miss you?" Sketchy asked, and Alec perked up, pretending not to be waiting for the answer.

"Not anymore, no," Liz responded, and Alec smiled into his beer. "Can I get another coke?" Liz asked the X5 volunteer as she made a pass over their group.

"What do you mean, not anymore? Did some male dog do something, boo?" OC asked. Again Alec felt his interest peek as the waitress took off with their orders.

"It's a long, uncomfortable story. Doesn't matter now anyway," Liz responded, smiling falsely at them.

"See, men are the reason I like women. If men appreciated women half as much as women do, I might still bat for your team," OC threw in, her eyes rolling and disgust clinging to every word.

"I resent that. I happen to appreciate many women," Alec responded with his classic lechery.

"And that would make you a dog," Max responded cheekily, sinking the eight ball and winning the game with a triumphant smile. "Game."

"What about me? I'm a good guy, I appreciate women," Sketchy asked, offended.

"You cheated on Natalie," Max said, a familiar 'don't even' look on her face.

"Cheaters should be castrated," Liz said fiercely, anger shining in her deep brown eyes. Alec raised his eyebrows and watched as Sketchy grabbed his privates.

"I think I learned my lesson, really," Sketchy assured the group, and the women laughed.

"I'm ready to go," Jondy announced finally, her hand straying to squeeze Alec from behind.

"And so am I," Alec responded. With that he cast a last glance at Liz, and followed Jondy out the door.


	6. Chapter Six

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Six

"Can't you just tell them that you don't feel well? Maybe that you are still hurt?" Maria whined, concerned for her best friend.

"Maria, I already told them that I'm better, and transgenics don't get sick like Ordinaries do," Liz replied, sighing as she laced up her boots. It was the day of the mission, and after telling Maria about what it entailed, the other girl started to harp on her about not going. Liz was just happy that Maria was well enough to do that. Her health had taken an unexpected upturn in the last day.

"But Liz, this is dangerous," came Maria's automatic response.

"I was made for this," Liz said. She knew of the danger, but her life was full of it, even  
when she had been 'normal' there was danger.

"What if something happens to you? I can't do this alone. I can't be a mom without your help. I'm not as strong as you, Liz. And what happens to me if you don't come back?" Liz had already given thought to all of these matters, and she had spent the day between going to the bar and going on mission clearing it up with Max.

"Maria, you will be fine. I will be fine. We will be fine. Max will be here for you, she promised," Liz explained. Her sister's word meant something to her, it was platinum. Max wasn't the kind of person to easily promise anything, but Liz could tell that she understood her worry over Maria- she knew that her sister could relate when she had seen her interaction with both OC and Sketchy the night before last at the bar.

"I want to come," Maria started, again. She had periodically taken to whining and then proclaiming that she wanted to be there to help.

"Maria, no, that's crazy."

"We faced worse with the FBI, and the Skins. I helped then," Maria argued, attempting to sit up, and Liz responded automatically by pushing her back down. The medics agreed that it was fine for Maria to begin slight exertions with her body, Liz did not.

"You weren't pregnant then, and this is worse than all of that. It's too dangerous. The enemy outnumber us by a far greater number," said Liz.

"More of a reason for you to stay here," Maria continued.

From the moment they met, Liz and Maria had always had arguments, and Liz had let her win them because Maria was the first person Liz trusted unfailingly. Outspoken, tenacious, and caring- Maria was a triple threat when it came to arguing.

"I'm going," Liz said with finality. "And I'm coming back. Like you said, I have to be here to see my niece born."

The fight had gone out of Maria. Liz could see she was exhausted, and that she had exhausted her last argument. Going on mission meant earning their keep, and Liz had to do it for both of them. Caring about what other people thought of her wasn't the issue, if it was then Liz would not be going, but keeping them safe in the only safe place left for them was.

"Michael will be here to watch over you. Won't you Michael?" Liz turned to ask the hovering boy.

"Yes, ma'am," he stated, voice strong and rough.

"Ma'am?" Liz asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, Liz," he said again, voice more normal, a smile softening the corners of his mouth.

"Little-boy-wonder is going to be my guardian?" Maria questioned, propping herself up on her elbows.

"In about ten seconds he is the only one going to stop me from strangling you," Liz informed her sarcastically, glaring at Maria without fire.

Sighing, Maria laid back down, "Fine, but if you get yourself killed because of this I'll never forgive you…ever."

"I love you, Ria. Don't worry about me. Focus on getting better," Liz told her, pulling her into a half hug, not using much strength because Maria was so fragile.

"Love you too. Be careful," Maria whispered back, clearly nervous and upset.

"Bye Michael," Liz said, standing to leave. Michael took up his place beside Maria and nodded in response.

Making her way to headquarters with the dusk as her backdrop, Liz passed a number of transgenics keyed up about the mission. She heard snatches of conversations pertaining to who was going, and what was on the retrieval list. The guard around TC and the perimeter was doubled, and no one was allowed in or out until the mission was over. Lockdown had a whole new meaning in a place where super-soldiers ran security.

"Liz, over here," Jondy waved from where the group was gathering once she had arrived.

Everyone was there, and Liz fidgeted under Krit's and Syl's attention. She had met them the night before, but she hadn't really spoken with them. Liz figured that there would be time later, if she changed her mind about getting close to the others. It was too soon to tell.

The sounds of people fighting in the ring beside them drew her attention, and Liz admired the symmetry of the fight and its fighters. Manticore was all about perfection, and watching the transgenics train together, Liz admitted that nothing was as perfect in nature. Their design was unique in an amalgamation of natural creatures that created something deemed 'unnatural'.

Her parents had thought that Liz was just especially gifted in science, which she was, but there was more to it than that. With Manticore as a parent, it kept the body fit, but they also insisted the mind be fed too, something dutifully rectified after the '09ers escaped. But still, Liz had the basic genetic sequencing of a prodigy. Her mind worked like the well-tuned machine it was supposed to be. Yet still, Liz had in actuality taken an interest in science to learn more about herself, about the human monstrosities that had created her. When Kathleen Topolsky had asked her why she wanted to pursue Molecular Biology, she hadn't lied- science was a great tool for unlocking the mysterious of the world.

The group stood with their best posture, and Liz mimicked them, tuning back in and away from her thoughts.

"Alright, we deploy from the west tunnel connected to the north sewer system, which should take us out beneath the docks. It's three clicks north when we should come up through a manhole; no one goes out without the rest of us there. We need to make in exactly an hour- that's when the shipment managers switch off, and when the docks are least guarded. We need three people on standby to watch for unexpected shift change, and two in the hole to receive the crates. Three of you will get on the ship and take out the staff offloading the merchandise, then get the crates on the dock. Two of you and I will be transporting it from the docks to the hole. Any questions?" The reptilian nomaly- Mole- asked.

Crickets would have been louder in that moment as everyone remained dead silent.

"None? Alright. Zack, Joshua, and Cray- I want you on standby. Krit and Syl, you're in the hole. Alec, Liz, and Eric- you are going in. Jondy, Lea, and I will move the shipments from the dock to the hole," Mole assigned the duties, and Liz had to wonder why they were trusting her to incapacitate, and ultimately steal the crates, she was after all the newest among them. Still distrusted.

"If something goes wrong, something whack goes down and compromises the objective, you  
retreat. I want automatic fall back with you and your assigned teams. Are we clear?" Max's voice suddenly rang through the group, and they all turned to face her where she stood on the platform above them.

"Clear," The group shouted as one. A few transgenics in the area were at attention, and Max nodded at them in dismissal.

"Follow me," Mole said, and they did.

It was a sight to see as the group of eleven marched from the heart of Terminal City through its dirty streets to the west perimeter. Their boots stomped together, their shoulders set, their eyes straight-forward. They were a visual unison of coordinated determination. The aura that radiated off them as the streetlights gleamed down at intermittent breaks had others moving to the sides of the street, and saluting as they passed. Everything in that moment made them soldier- from the shirts on their backs to the shoelaces on their boots, no one could mistake them for anything but Manticore  
made.

Natural, Liz thought, it felt natural to be in the synced, rhythmic march of soldiers prepared to fight. Roswell had limited her, had suppressed her, and even when the FBI and the Skins presented a familiar challenge, an enemy, nothing compared to the feeling of being a soldier; of being surrounded by soldiers.

They arrived at the tunnel, and Liz watched as they each dropped down into it, one after another after another in a repetitive motion. When it was her turn, Liz felt a hand on her back, and then the whoosh of air as she dropped down ten feet and landed with a grit-worthy impact below. Something about that touch had unsettled Liz, in a more primal way she woke up, and her instincts clouded her mind. Nothing so potent had touched her before, and she had to give herself a shake before moving out of the way of the next in line.

It was Alec, Liz noted. He dropped down beside her, and her body tingled in response. Standing so close, Liz fought to contain her iron grip on her emotions, but a part of her had been awakened by his touch- a part she had never known.

"Move out," Mole called once everyone was in. Again the marching, again the unison, and again that familiar accord rang through Liz, only this time it was coupled with her primitive awareness.

They reached their destination, sloshing through water and crud, and it was just under an  
hour. Mole continually checked his watch. They all synced up when he said to, and the moment they did, it was like a countdown. Get in, get it, get out- Liz chanted in her mind. She could still feel Alec beside her, and she worried that not all of her was focused on the mission. If only he hadn't touched her.

"Go," Mole commanded and it began.

Krit and Syl moved to either side of the hole, and stood stock still, quite inhuman. Zack, Joshua, and Cray- the last two nomalies- went up first, and gave the all clear. Mole, Jondy, and Lea went after, and then Alec, Liz, and Eric. Mole insisted they wait thirty seconds after coming up to keep with his timing, and then sent them out.

Eric swept out in front of her, and Alec remained behind- they put her in the middle. Liz grit her teeth at the idea that they were 'protecting' a fellow soldier, but soothed herself with the knowledge someone had to be in the middle anyway. The lighting surrounding the docks was poor, people were quiet, and everyone tried to look inconspicuous- shady dealings often went on at the harbor, everyone knew that, and tonight it would work to their advantage.

Slipping onto the right ship wasn't a problem- it was quick, quiet, and smooth. Eric started taking down the men on deck, signaling Liz and Alec to go on. Liz made a gesture to tell Alec to go down below, and get the men guarding the cargo while she went into the office and bunk areas where stray seamen might still be on board. Liz watched his hands avidly as they signed that she should go down below where their were less men, and that he would run the risk of being surrounded. Instead of yielding to his response, Liz slipped him a purely human gesture, and took off into the personal quarters.

As she cleared each room, Liz slipped into her childhood persona. She took down two men in their room with the touch of a pressure point; three more in the next with a few kicks passed around; then continued on. The wood that skimmed her fingertips as she kept close to the wall was finely shellacked, obviously made pre-pulse.

A sound caught her ear, and Liz froze along the hall. Someone was in the last room Liz had to clear. After a moment several more voices murmured in kind, and Liz realized that there had to be at least eight men in addition to the first speaker in that room. Nine. She could take nine with help.

Being near to the room as she was, Liz held her breath as she made her way back down the hall, but she didn't account for a loose floorboard. Her mistake. The men in the office heard the creak, and the door flew open. One of the crew peered out and then shouted before Liz incapacitated him. The other eight men rushed out, and Liz jumped up to cling to the ceiling, then launched herself on them.

"Someone get to the deck, we have intruders," the man Liz had heard in the office first shouted.

Liz grunted as she took down two more men, and felt a sharp pain to her lower back. Not stopping to think, too high on adrenaline to pause, Liz swept backward with her outstretched arm, and sent the person assaulting her crashing to the ground. He was young, Liz acknowledged, then held her booted foot down on his windpipe until he passed out.

The sound of more men dropping had Liz returning to the fight. Alec has appeared, and he was in all his glory. He took down the two that were attempting to hold onto him, and his muscles stretched taut as he flipped another off his back, and into the wall.

One of the men came at Liz, and she crouched low on the defensive. As Liz swept out at his feet, the man jumped up, and slammed his fist down at Liz, but she blurred out of reach. She pulled him back by his hair, bending him in a U, and slammed her forehead down on his face- the crunch his nose made was unpleasant, and he passed out from the pain seconds later.

When Liz looked back up, she saw Eric running toward them full speed. The X5 stopped just shy of bulldozing them over. "We have to get out. I managed to lift more than four fifths of their supply, but whatever went down in here caused a stir. We need to move."

Liz nodded unnecessarily, and the three took off. They has to vault over the side of the deck and into the dark waters below to avoid a hover drone, and a new batch of men making their way onto the vessel. The freezing salt water was a sharp sting, and Liz felt her back flare up with pain that zinged alone her spine, and she could smell her blood in the water. Fighting through the excruciating pain, Liz focused her eyes in the midnight darkened waters, and put her DNA to work, playing catch up to the males that had gotten out in front of her.

They passed a number of fish, a stingray, and three sand sharks. When they came up at the dock closest to the manhole, Eric and Alec climbed out with ease. Liz felt the air on her face, and as she pulled herself up and beside the others on the dock, a thousand needles stabbed at her back, unrelenting in its torture. Again she fought it, and neither transgenic male noticed, far to focused on scanning the area, and making it into the open hole.

The others had gone on ahead of them, as per instruction. Liz fought back bile rising in her throat, and dropped down after Alec. The impact this time was too bit much for her, and Liz stumbled into Alec, who caught her as she hit the sewer wall, and spat out a mouth full of blood and vomit.

"Where are you hurt?" Alec demanded to know while Eric dropped down after moving the lid into place. Both men crowded Liz for a moment, and she swore it was a suffocating feeling in the putridly pungent sewer, surrounded by rats, and entrenched in unidentified muck.

"It's nothing, let's go," Liz said, pushing away Alec's hands.

"We need to move out," Eric agreed, taking point.

Alec stared at Liz, and that primitive part of her came to life even as her back seared with pain. "I'll carry you."

"No, let's go," Liz told him, pushing off his hands even as she wanted to lean into his touch.  
"You are hurt," Alec reasoned, marching in time behind her.

Eric was impatiently scouting ahead of them, urging them to move faster. Liz felt herself start to stagger, but forced herself to move onward, unhindered by the pain. Pain was a neurological signal that sent up the alert of physical damage- it could be ignored, Liz reminded herself.

Placing a hand on her back, Liz felt the sharp edge of a blade, and pulled out a fragment of a blood-covered, serrated knife. Ignoring Alec's repeated order to let him carry her, Liz kept pace with Eric. The three clicks was like thirty for Liz, and when they made it back to the west tunnel's entrance, she even allowed Alec to help pull her through.

Soaked to the bone, the three marched on, and Liz stopped fighting Alec's hold. She felt herself give in to his arms as they swept her up, and her eyes rolled shut as the darkness consumed her. Her last thought was how right it was to be in his arms, how unlike anything she had ever had with anyone else. Primitively, she knew this was hers.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Seven

Alec could feel a knot in his back where the tension had settled. He had raced to the infirmary the moment Liz gave out in his arms. The medics and the retrieval team swarmed him, and Alec had been beyond explanations at that point. He had snarled at the transgenics in charge, and placed Liz down on one of the coarse cots that littered the room.

Max had jumped in to shout and demand answers. Eric- Alec's least favorite person of the moment- went on to complain that Liz had caused the problem, and drawn the attention of the others without the ability to dispose of them. The way he used his words to paint the unflattering scenario, Eric made it seem as though he knew what happened. Alec was quick to correct him, which only directed her anger at him. He had never seen her so angry, and even though yes he was upset, he couldn't understand why she was so over the top- soldiers got hurt, it happened.

Now that the situation had cooled, and everyone had a calm head, Alec asked, "Why is she so important? Pretty doe eyes, nice body, good soldier- all great qualities, but something tells me that there's more here, Maxie."

"She's my sister," Max said after a long pause.

"I know that. So what she was in your original unit-" he began, getting frustrated with that tired answer.

"No, you don't. I mean she's my sister, as in biological- the real deal," Max shouted fiercely, getting in his face to the point Alec could feel her breath on his chin.

"What do you mean, Max?" Syl asked from behind them, she was very quite- an extreme introvert, and Alec was unused to hearing her voice.

"When White ran my DNA, he found out a bunch of whack stuff about me. Thing is, he had other files too; old mock ups of the '09er problem cases. The only pair of biological siblings in our original unit was Liz and I. We had the same mother. After I was born, my mom decided she wanted me, which made her a risk to Manticore. She tried to escape, and they neutralized her, but not before harvesting her eggs. It took years, and many attempts before they succeeded in fertilizing a single egg…Liz. That's why she's so much younger. And that's why she's so important," answered Max, again her eyes hard and her glare directed at Alec.

The room fell into a hushed silence, and Alec was staring at Max with new eyes. The bond that was inexplicably present between the two female X5s made more sense. The fact that Max and Liz both had eyes that weakened the people around them, that inspired profound feelings of altruism- it was a family trait. All of her 'brothers' and 'sisters' meant something to her, but for Max, Liz was the real deal. Who else at Manticore could say that.

One of the medics came over, and the look on his face was stunned- absolutely incredulous.

"How is she?" Max jumped in before Alec could speak.

"She's fine," the man answered.

"Fine? How is she fine?" Max demanded, moving away from Alec and getting very friendly with the poor guy's personal space.

"I mean, she's fine. I don't know how. Technically speaking, she should be dead right now," the medic started.

"As a whole, we transgenics heal fast, but her recovery should have been impossible. I've never seen anything like this. Her right kidney had been punctuated by something sharp with a serrated edge that sawed through the perirenal and pararenal fat- two layers that encompass the kidneys and the adrenal gland, and then proceeded to rip passed the renal fascia to directly stab her right kidney. The kidneys main function is homeostasis, and as a result, the more she fought with the damaged kidney, a sporadic rise and decline must have immediately followed because homeostasis controls BP. At some point during the mission, Liz managed to crack her ribs- possibly from the blow to her kidney as the top of a kidney is usually protected by the eleventh and twelfth ribs. The cracked ribs would not be a problem, except at some point she dove into water- which was one part helpful and one part stupid.

"Trained as we are to dive into water, Liz attempted to do as trained, but her injury effected her balance, and when she made impact with the water, the force drove her cracked rib into her left lung- puncturing that as well. The helpful part in all this was that salt water which preserves kidneys- more commonly saline is used to help with kidney transporting for kidney transplanting.

"Once the kidney is damaged there is nothing that can be done for it, so we worked on her lung- putting her on a saline drip IV with mineral base, and patched up her lung and set her ribcage. But when we went to reassess the kidney, the tissue had sealed over with a transparent membrane, and the excretions it had leaked into the body had disappeared. There is no trace that she had begun kidney failure- and the hemodialysis that we had at the ready was completely unnecessary. Medically, X5-581 is of incomparably value," the man finished, and he shook his head then returned to helping in the examination of pregnant transgenics.

"So what, Liz is some medical marvel?" came a female voice from behind the group. Alec was quickly beginning to recognize the voice as Maria's- Liz's Ordinary friend. She had started harping the moment Liz was brought in, and Little Michael had had to forcibly restrain her in her attempts to rush to Liz's side hysterically.

"Sounds like," Krit responded, arms crossed, and leaning against a wall beside Zack and Syl.

"I want all of you out of here, go put the supplies in storage," Max ordered to the retrieval team, and everyone except Alec filed out.

"I meant you too, Dick," Max responded, still glaring angrily at Alec.

"You blame me for this? I'm the one that helped her when the mission was compromised. I'm the one that made sure she got her in one piece. It's not my fault she wouldn't take orders," Alec defended. This was always how it was with Max- she always found a way to pin everything on him.

"She was a part of your group, your unit, and you were responsible for her. I trusted her to go on this mission because of you. Not Zack. Not Krit. Not Mole or Joshua, or my sisters. You. Take responsibility soldier," ranted Max, arms flying about for dramatic effect as she spoke. "When are you going to grow up."

"Grow up? You want me to grow up? Well how about you grow up, Maxie, and take a look around. We are at war, and people- our people- are going to get hurt. Soldiers are going to be wounded, and that is what Liz is. She is a soldier. Just like you. Just like me. You want me to take responsibility? Fine, I'm the dumb ass that decided to stand by you even when your precious Logan left you, and when saint Zack challenged you. My mistake," Alec said viciously, wanting to hurt her, to wake her up. He was always there, and he was a good soldier. He had been CO of his unit, and the best material Manticore had before Max blew it all to smithereens. Maybe he was self-indulgent, self-centered, and egotistical, but he was a damned good soldier, and an even better friend.

An intrinsic battle went up between them as they stared each other down, but Alec wouldn't look away. He respected Max for all she had been through, and he cared about her more than he had anyone else in his other unit- but that didn't mean he would let her step all over him. He had rank; he had strength; and he had pride- in this he would not defer.

"I hate to interrupt this visual smack down, but Liz is awake. Can someone help me up?" Maria asked, breaking them up.

Alec's eyes flicked to where Liz was laying on a cot hooked up to an IV. She was answering questions for the medic from earlier, and nodding her head slowly. Focusing back on Maria, Alec answered her, "Can you move?"

"Yes, I'm not an invalid. God, you sound like Liz. The medical guys already said I could exert myself a little," Maria whined, crossing her arms over her chest as she lay staring at Alec in reproach.

Michael seemed anxious while he too gazed off at Liz- Max now beside her bed. Alec noticed as the boy's posture relaxed a bit, and the tip of his boots were lifting up and down repetitively.

Sighing, Alec moved to Maria's side, and picked her up into his arms as she began protesting loudly about not being allowed to move on her own, and him being a Neanderthal, and not appreciating such treatment. He carried her to the bed beside Liz, and lay her down as Michael trailed behind them pushing Maria's IV stand.

"Liz I told you not to go! Look at this, look at you. Do you know what those people said about your injuries?" Maria started right off the bat, and Alec quickly moved three steps away to avoid a ringing in his ears.

"I'm fine, Maria," Liz answered, and hearing her say it made it all the more real for Alec. He breathed more normally, and the tension in his back eased.

"I thought you were a super freak- how did that guy even get close enough to stab you?" Maria asked, completely ignoring the threatening glances that came her way at the words 'super freak'.

"There were eight guys, and I can't exactly grow eyes and arms and legs everywhere, Maria," Liz said exasperatedly, and then coughed violently into her hands.

Alec was by her side before she had stopped, and in front of an angry over-protective Max. Soothing a hand down her back, Alec watched as Liz removed her hand from her face, and revealed blood spatter on her hands.

"You aren't fine," Alec retorted, and laid her back down from where she had sat up.

"I'm fine, really. It's just a residual effect," Liz answered, but she didn't push his hands away, and Alec grabbed hers once she settled back without struggle.

Holding her hands out for her to see, he spoke urgently and in a completely serious, completely un-Alec voice, "This is not fine. You have blood coming out onto your hands."

"So have them check me over again. I'm telling you, this is normal," Liz argued, yanking her arms out of his steel grip with surprising speed and ease.

"Normal?" Alec questioned, then looked around at the number of people surrounding them. "Everyone out," Alec called. Medics looked up from where they were helping patients, and Alec waved them to stay, but all spare medical attendees were ordered to leave.

"What the hell are you doing?" Max demanded, sitting on the edge of Liz's cot.

"Obviously she has something to tell us, if this is normal," Alec told her.

"I don't have to explain myself to you. All you need to know is that I'm fine," came Liz's hard spoken response.

"That's where you're wrong. You do have to explain because currently we are the only thing separating you from a world full of enemies," Alec told her matter of factly. He hated pulling this card, but he needed to know. Something in him was demanding he find out so that he would be better able to take care of her.

"Liz, be careful," Maria whispered her warning, but with his transgenic hearing, Alec caught  
it.

"Careful? What you don't think you can trust us?" Max asked, her glare removing itself from Alec to focus on Maria.

"I know that I don't know you. I know that the only reason I'm here is because Liz is protecting me, and she believes in you- despite the fact that she hasn't seen you in eleven years. I also know that my best friend is being bullied by people that don't particularly like me, or her, and that would sooner stick us out on the street than accept us into their 'family'," Maria said, using air quotes at the last.

She believed every word she was saying, Alec realized. She honestly thought they would abandon her and Liz to the world- and in a way she was right. If not for the fact that Liz was transgenic and important to Max, they wouldn't be sitting with them in TC at that moment.

"No one is going to kick you. We protect our own," Max reaffirmed, looking at Liz who had fallen silent.

"What about me? I'm not 'your' kind, I don't leap tall buildings in a single bound, or have freaky super strength. To you, I'm just another Ordinary. Isn't that what call me?" Maria asked.

"Enough, Ria. You are my friend. That makes you 'my' kind. I don't care what they call you, and I thought you were Teflon babe- nothing sticks to you. You aren't going anywhere," Liz said, and Alec could hear that she was tired. "Michael, could you go get us all some water and maybe for Maria to eat?"

"Yes-" he began, and Liz raised an eyebrow, "Liz."

Liz relaxed with a smile, and Alec wondered at the strange behavior. Michael was a soldier, he was supposed to be respectful and defer to the chain of command, but around Liz that hazed a little. She managed to put the boy at ease.

"So you want to tell us what the big secret is?" Alec questioned, standing as close to Liz as possible. The feel of her near had his body temperature raising a few degrees. It had felt similar to this the night at the bar when she had brushed against him. His whole being felt like it was lit up like a Christmas tree, and his instincts were more than attentive.

"Lydecker did something to me that he didn't do to the rest of you. I don't know what it is, or why. All I know is he claimed he had unlocked some special part of my DNA, and ever since then I have certain abilities. I'm different than all you, and sometimes not in a good way. Couple that with an incident at my parents diner a little over a year ago, and I'm not your average transgenic," started Liz.

"What happened at your parents diner?" Max cut Alec off. He could hear the urgency and curiosity in her voice.

"I was working as a waitress, and things got out of hand with two of our customers. A gun went off, and I was shot in the stomach. I would have healed given time, but one of the customers didn't know that, couldn't. He rushed over to me, placed his hand on the wound, and healed me. Ever since-"

"Healed you? What the hell do you mean, healed you?" Max demanded.

"I mean, he manipulated the molecular structure of my body, and dissolved the bullet while patching up the damaged tissue. I've been even more…unique since then," Liz informed them.

Alec was processing everything while Max tossed out question after question. Liz had been shot. Anger. Liz had been healed by another male. Jealousy. Liz was different than him. Confusion.

"Hi, Michael," Maria called out loudly as he approached them with a tray full of drinks and food. It was a way of letting them know he was coming, which was unnecessary as they could all sense and hear him, but Alec could appreciate the human gesture.

"Thank you," Liz said to Michael once he was beside them. Michael nodded, and Liz accepted it.

"You should eat some too," Alec responded.

"I'm not hungry," Liz insisted, but the way her eyes widened in want said otherwise. She was trying to be noble and let her friend have it.

"Hey baldy, why don't you go get some more," Alec said, addressing Michael with his usual nickname. He liked the kid, but he was a little too serious for Alec's taste.

"Don't call him that," Liz ordered.

"Why not? It's my nickname for him," Alec said as Michael took off with a salute.

"Because I said so. He has a name now. Use it," Liz's tone had turned threatening as she sipped her water.

"Or what?" Alec asked, smirking.

"Or you'll regret it," Liz answered.

"You're a good soldier, Shorty, but I'm not feeling the fear," Alec said with a smirk. He felt two slaps on the back of his head; Maria and Max had taken the liberty of correcting him.

"I'm not short," Liz argued, hung up on that particular detail.

"You're shorter than me," Alec responded, and rubbed the back of his head again when Maria hit it harder. "Watch it, Blondie."

"Fine, I'm shorter than you, but height isn't everything," Liz told him.

"That's like saying size doesn't matter," Alec scoffed.

"Aw, and I thought that would help console you a little bit," Max jumped in.

Liz and Maria laughed at that, and Alec rolled his eyes. Michael appeared a moment later with a tray overflowing with food, and he handed it to Alec. Alec semi-saluted the kid, and watched as the boy returned it with a triumphant smile.

"Here, now eat," Alec ordered, giving Liz the tray.

"I said I wasn't hungry," said Liz.

"It will help replace what your body has lost, eat it," Alec ordered.

"I'm not hungry," Liz fought. Alec couldn't understand. He knew she was hungry, now she was fighting him just to be obstinate.

"It'll be good for you, Liz," Max joined in.

Liz waited, and Alec sighed- understanding. Turning to Little Michael, Alec addressed him, "Thank you, Michael." He received a nod in response.

"Now eat," Alec told her, and she did.

"We should run some tests. Find out what exactly is different about you," Max said, watching as Liz devoured the tray of rations.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Liz answered, stopping for a moment.

"Why not? It could tell us a lot about you?" Alec asked.

"Because, macho-man, if the wrong people get a hold of her DNA, Liz could be in a lot of trouble," Maria tossed in exasperatedly.

"It's not like we're careless," Max defended.

"Why do you need to know about Liz anyway?" Maria questioned.

"With her DNA, we could cure diseases and help our wounded," Max answered.

"So she'd be your lab rat?"

"No, of course not."

"Guys, stop. If you want some of my blood, take it, but you have to destroy the research immediately following any discoveries. Memorize the data, but get rid of the hard copies. Maria's right, this could put me in danger," Liz told them, biting her lower lip.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Alec replied. He could see the look of astonishment on Max's face- it was almost a look of betrayal.

"Alec, this could get rid of the virus," she whispered to him, only loud enough for him and Liz to hear.

"What virus?" Liz asked aloud.

"Is it really more important than your sister's life?" Alec asked, and prayed she'd say no. He would protect Liz if he had too, but they weren't going to put her at risk.

"No," Max responded, despondent. This could have been her chance with Logan, Alec knew, but he was glad that Max put family first.

"What virus?" Liz asked again.

"I have a virus in me that is directly targeted to someone else's DNA," Max informed her.

"Who?"

"Someone I cared about."

"Logan?" Liz asked naively. She didn't know the details, Alec noted. Max was keeping her private life private- which he thought was unfair considering everything Liz had just told them. Granted, Liz had her secrets still, but she had opened up.

"Yeah, Logan." Max answered truthfully, then stood to leave. "We should go. You need to rest. I'll see you in a few days baby sister," Max told Liz.

"I'll be good to go by tomorrow," Liz said.

"A few days, Liz," Max warned, and Liz nodded.

Alec felt Liz's eyes on him as he headed toward the door after their quick goodbye. He turned and met her eyes at the doors, and felt something in him claw for release- she was dangerous to him, he acknowledged. She had a way into him that no one else did, and that was not a comforting thought.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Eight

It had been three days since Liz had arrived in the infirmary, and three days of Max telling her she wanted her to stay. Maria yammered on, each day growing stronger and more healthy, and coming up with a million baby names. Transgenics came in and out all day. Max, OC, Sketchy, Jondy, and even Krit and Syl dropped by to check in with her. Things were beginning to mellow for Liz, and the routine of existing among so many 'people' like her was beginning to settle in .

Listening to hear if Maria was finally asleep, Liz breathed a sigh of relief and slipped off of her cot. It was ten after one in the morning- or so Liz's internal clock said. She had snuck out the night before, and now that she was at top strength, Liz had to do it again. Staying locked down in a medical facility was never something she had been comfortable with, and she couldn't contain the nervous energy when she felt ready to leave.

Liz passed Michael standing guard at the door, and waved a little; he was her partner in crime. If Max came looking for her, Michael promised her that he would cover for her. Looking at him, Liz could feel her heart hurt for his lost innocence- the childhood he would never have.

The streets were lined with streetlights, some worked; some didn't. Transgenics were either at the bar, in the low-rise apartments, or on guard- walking the streets was fairly unusual, and Liz felt confident that her brothers and sisters would never notice her. Trash littered the ground on some back alleys: broken bottles, old newspapers, bits and pieces of useless something or others; it all lay scattered over the streets. Everything seemed deserted, which suited Liz fine.

Finding the backstreet in the southeast section of TC that she had come across the night before, Liz crouched down and surveyed her surroundings. Her hearing enhanced, her pupils dilated, her sense of smell became fine-tuned; it was her usual sweep, and once Liz determined that no one had followed her, her eyes traveled up to the large metal bar that stretched from one building to the other, hovering over the dank alleyway almost invisible.

Tensing her muscles, Liz centered her balance, and pushed off from the ground like a rocket, grabbing hold of the bar twelve feet from the asphalt. The stretch of her taut muscles, the feel of her cramped back unknotting, and a few cracks of her spine had Liz rolling her head back in relief. Taking control of herself, Liz used the momentum of her body to swing back and forth until her body perpetuated upward in a completely vertical alignment.

Gripping the bar tightly with her left hand, Liz slowly released her right hand from the steel rod beneath her fingers. This was a test of control, a means to keep her in line, and Liz remembered using the edge of her balcony at night to do it. It was a rush, an exhilaration, as the blood zinged through her veins, pumped adrenaline through her body, and produced a familiar high- the high she always found when hunting.

Once her arm was completely horizontal, Liz took her locked left leg down straight in front of her, creating a stiff L. Carefully, Liz mimicked her movement, bringing down her right leg. Breathing deeply, Liz felt her lungs expand, and her diaphragm felt compressed, but the feeling was welcomed. Pulling her arm back down, Liz brought out her left, and slowly put each leg back up.

A sound reached her ears as Liz brought her left arm back down to grip the bar again. Someone was coming. Resisting the familiar urge to flee, Liz remained perfectly still and straight as she balanced vertically on the bar. Below her the sound of footsteps intruded on the quiet of the night, and Liz grit her teeth in consternation as she realized the person stopped right below her. With a sigh, she met his gaze, and Liz swung down to meet him.

"Aren't you on direct orders to stay in the infirmary?" Zack asked.

"Why does that concern you?" Liz answered his question with a question, irritated by his commanding attitude.

"You were given an order soldier, and it's in your best interest to follow it," he replied. He stood ramrod stiff, arms behind his back, and shoulders tensed- ever the perfect soldier.

"What is your problem, Zack?" Liz had had enough. She had heard him the last few days lingering outside the infirmary, always saying rude things, treating her like the enemy. She was his sister, and if he like that it was too damned bad.

"My problem is that you need to learn to follow orders," Zack said, jaw tensing.

"Ever since I got here you've had a stick up your ass. I haven't seen you in eleven years and all you can say to me is 'follow orders'? I haven't done anything and yet you are mad at me, why?" Liz fired off.

"Just leave it, soldier," Zack ordered, then moved to walk away.

Liz caught his arm as he passed her, and pulled him to a stop. He didn't stop her. He didn't move. He just stood there, breathing deeply.

"Tell me what's going on," Liz said softly.

"I'm not mad at you," Zack began.

"Then why are you acting this way?"

"Because I couldn't be there for you. I thought you were dead. I never even thought to look for you when I got out. I let you down," Zack answered.

It was like he snapped, and the next thing Liz knew he was hugging her. He had never hugged her before, and it felt weird at first, but Liz realized that the second she had shown up in Terminal City he had been weighted down with guilt. Zack had come to the conclusion that she had been out there for years on her own, and he was all about protecting his own- being there when it got tough. He had never been there for Liz while she grew up outside Manticore.

"Zack, it wasn't your fault. You thought I was dead just like everyone else. If you had known, you would have come for me," Liz told him, rubbing his back and he held her.

"I would have; I promise, Liz, I would have," Zack reassured her, pulling back, and looking into her eyes.

"I know you would have. Besides, it's not like I had it hard. I had a good family and some friends," Liz soothed. He looked so upset; it was a first for her former CO.

"You shouldn't be out here, you should be resting," he said in a sudden switch of gears, obviously trying to shake off his emotional display.

"I'm perfectly fine. Did you miss my impressive display of athleticism?" Liz joked, pointing up at the bar.

"How did you survive, Liz? Max told me what the medics said."

Everyone had been asking Liz about it. What little she had told them had only sparked their curiosity, and Liz had been fending off noisy inquiry ever since.

"It's not important, Zack," Liz answered, letting go of him, and shrugging off his questions.

"You have secrets," Zack stated- without a doubt.

"Doesn't everybody?" she asked.

"You can trust me."

"I know," Liz said with a nodded, then gave him a half-smile.

"You grew up beautiful; just like Max," Zack informed her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with uncharacteristic tenderness.

"Not quite," Liz said sardonically, shaking off Zack's compliment.

"Are you going to go back to the infirmary?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head.

"I think you should, even if you are healed you do need sleep," Zack urged.

"Good thing about shark DNA, sleep isn't really a big deal," Liz replied, glancing back up at the bar overhead.

"Maybe I'll come visit you tomorrow," Zack said, uncertainty coloring his tone.

"You don't have to," Liz started. "But I'd like that."

Zack smiled, and then saluted her before walking off. He seemed a bit lighter, and Liz wished she had approached him sooner; not that there had really been an opportune moment prior their encounter.

It was getting late, and Liz wondered if she should head back. The bar looked so enticing to Liz, and she crouched low again, readying to launch herself upward. Her senses kicked in, and Liz sighed out loud.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" came his greeting.

"I haven't had a bedtime in a long time," Liz replied, jumping up to grip the bar.

"Ah come on, going to bed can be fun. Why don't we go together?" he suggested, and Liz began to swing enthusiastically.

"I think I prefer this, thanks," Liz called, peering down at him as she aligned herself vertically.

"If you want a work out, I'm sure I can help with that too," Alec responded, smiling up at her in a way that had Liz's grip faulting just slightly.

"Not interested," Liz replied, looping the bar.

"Sure you are, I've seen the way you look at me. Besides, I saved your life, don't you want to repay me?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest, and  
leaning back against one of the buildings as he watched her.

Sighing as her concentration broke, Liz dropped down in front of him, arms crooked out for balance.

"Thank you," Liz stated, and then started to jog away. Annoyingly, he kept pace.

"That's not what I had in mind," Alec informed her.

"I know," Liz said, and moved a little further away from him as his body heat began to effect her. She felt the stirrings of her body's primal reaction in  
response to his nearness, and Liz hated the loss of control she felt.

"Playing hard to get? I see."

"Why this sudden fascination in me?" Liz asked, increasing her speed to put distance between them.

"Oh, it's not sudden," Alec answered, speeding up to match her.

Jerking to a stop, Liz faced him, "Why are you following me?"

"Because I'm talking to you."

"Why are you talking to me?"

"Because I like you," he stated simply, and Liz melted inside while fighting to show the reaction outside.

"I'm going to bed," Liz told him, then raced off, hoping to lose him with no luck.

"I'll join you," he whispered sexily, and Liz felt herself shiver.

"I'm going to bed alone," she tried again.

It took half a second for him to pull her to a stop, and less than that for the feel of his warm lips to send tingles running all over her body. His hands were  
still holding her arms, and hers were dead at her sides, but when her mind engaged, Liz's body roared to life, and her arms came up to wrap around his neck, drawing him closer.

A feral hunger wrapped itself around them, and Liz turned them, slamming him aggressively into the brick wall of a building. He dropped his arms to her  
waist, hoisting her up as her legs locked around him. Alec's tongue slid across her lower lip, and in a demanding thrust, broke passed her moist giving lips and into her mouth. Liz could taste him, feel him, smell him, and recognize him with every molecule of her being. Never had she felt so on fire. Not a part of her  
went untouched by him.

A hand traveled to her lower back, under her shirt, and slid across the silken skin beneath. The rough pads of his fingertips massaged her spine, traced over the spot where the knife had ripped into her, and then clutched her more closely to him. Liz could feel the grip of his other hand on the nap of her neck, tilting her from side to side as he explore her mouth with expert kisses.

Incendiary, molten, smelting- nothing could describe the rousing heat that flared between them. Liz felt her fingernails tingle with the urge to grab him, and she sank them into hard muscle as she moved her hands from his neck to his biceps. Sweat began to cover her body and as a breeze passed over them, a chill ran through her. It was almost too much, Liz thought. She pulled her head back from him, and felt his lips and tongue draw a path down her jaw and neck, consuming her inch by pulsing inch, as his mouth came to settle over her rapidly beating pulse point.

"Alec," Liz struggled to say, attempting to fight her way back to sanity. The path was convoluted, snared with the many nerves that clenched in response to his touch, but Liz found her rationality, and roughly pulled away from him.

She watched his harsh breathing as he devoured her with his eyes. Liz didn't want to stop. She didn't want to be rational. She didn't want to say no. But she had to, for too many reasons.

"Why are you fighting this?" he asked her, and the answer caught in her throat.

Instead of replying, Liz took off, her legs pumping with the adrenaline and frustration her every limb was wrought with. She was flushed and the feel of the cool air against her body as she rushed through the dirty, empty streets of Terminal City felt like whips of contrast- unpleasant. The feel of him was still alive in her mind, and phantom sensations of arousal played havoc with Liz's body.

Getting involved with him was too dangerous. Letting herself get close to him was too dangerous. Pretending she could have something normal was too dangerous. Liz kept telling herself that, kept trying to make her demanding physical needs understand what her mind refused to accept, and it was a losing battle.

Alec's piercing eyes flashed through her mind; so did his lips, his biceps, the feel of his hard pelvis pressed between her legs with an impressive hard on ready to pleasure her. God, it had been so long since she had let herself go. Her last heat had been hard, but stopping herself back in that alley with Alec had seemed by far more difficult.

Stopping two blocks from the infirmary, Liz slammed herself backward against a building, ignoring the pain of it, and letting her body pause. A piece of newspaper blew over her foot, and Liz focused on the feel of that, and of the wind. She tried to think of Maria and the baby, of Michael, and of her brothers and sisters. She thought of the royal four, and glanced up at the stars, wondering where they were, and if they were okay.

Slowly Liz's instincts retreated, her body calmed, and the world reverted back to normal. Normal. It was such a relative term. Nothing was ever really normal, Liz thought. Everyone had a problem- or at least thought they did, and maybe that was the only normal thing that really existed. Back in Roswell, Liz had thought she had a normal life. More normal than Manticore could provide at the very least. Her parents had had normal jobs, she had gone to a normal school, and she had had normal friends. But it took that one day in the Crashdown when the shooting happened to remind Liz that she wasn't normal, and that her life would never be just normal.

Green energy crackled along her skin, and Liz felt the searing pain of it building inside her. A month before coming to Terminal City, Liz had developed her "gifts" and ever so often, she couldn't control them, and they came to an intense, physical culmination.

Moving her hands down against the asphalt, Liz tried to quell the rising power. Some of it retreated back into her body, but Liz couldn't stop the rest from centering in her hands and forcing outward in an extreme blast, a green light that rippled out through the alley floor, and caused mini-explosions of asphalt like tiny geysers. Liz felt bits of the debris pelt her body as she tucked her head to the side against her shoulder, eyes closed.

A grunt of surprise from behind her, alerted Liz to her current problem: someone had seen her. Turning sharply, Liz saw two figures in the dark near the perimeter fence, neither wearing the familiar fatigues required of all TC members. They were intruders, and they had seen her use her powers.

Time stood suspended as Liz stared back at them, and they her. Finally it clicked, and all three became blurring figures. The two men went for the fence, and Liz raced after them. A hand automatically came out in front of her, and Liz watched as a beam of green energy hit the fence, and both figures were thrown back against the pavement.

The man who had grunted was on his feet first, recovering quickly, and he squared off with Liz. As they kicked out at each other, Liz took in his Hispanic features, all handsome and flawless. He had dark brown hair, it looked black in the shadows, and pale brown eyes, hazel in the light. When Liz grabbed hold of his arm and bent him forward, she caught a glimpse of his neck- a barcode stamped in place- before being pulled off of him by his partner.

The second man, the one to pull Liz away from the Hispanic transgenic, flipped Liz backward and into the wall of the building behind them. Her head throbbed for a second as her skull was slammed into the brick, but Liz reflexively dropped down and swept his feet out from under him. Grabbing hold of his neck, Liz yanked him up to her, and pulled her legs up around his waist. Both men froze, her hands were perfectly capable of snapping his neck, and in their current position that was the only likely outcome.

A full head of blond hair filled her vision, and Liz tried peering over the top of her prisoners head to stare at his partner.

"Drop any weapons you may have, and get on the ground," Liz ordered. She watched as the X5 complied, and then brought her legs down to the ground, and kicked the back of the blonde's knees, bending slightly to follow him to his knees.

"Who are you?" Liz demanded, still gripping the blond in a position to kill, eyes watching everything in front of her carefully.

"X5-568," the blond responded, his jaw tensing as he spoke.

"X5-690," said his partner.

Liz shook her head incredulously, it couldn't be them. Because if those were their numbers, then the intruders were her brothers: Ethan and Raed.

"What the hell is going on here?" came Max's voice from behind them, and Liz wished she could close her eyes. This was the night from hell.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Nine

Sweat dripped down his back, and Alec rolled his tense shoulders. It had been three days since his kiss with Liz, and three days since the two traitors had entered their city. Ethan and Raed were working for Lydecker, that much they had been able to get out of the two transgenics. Every resident of TC had been buzzing with the news. Mole and like-minded Nomalies vocalized their feelings on how they felt the two X5s should be dealt with, and Alec couldn't find fault with their logic.

Grabbing a towel, Alec left the training room. He had seen the males. He had seen the way they looked at Liz. They had been fixated on her the whole time he was in the room, and a part of him- more animal than human- wanted to kill them for that alone. Alec remembered the look on their faces as they stared with openly curious eyes at Liz, and the way she in turn stared back. Max, Jondy, Krit, Syl, Zack, and Liz were they only people- beside himself- cleared for access.

It was clear that Ethan and Raed had not been as lucky as Liz, they had not planned an escape, nor did they leave Manticore training. Apparently, they were pet projects to Lydecker; whatever he had managed to do to Liz he had tried to replicate in them, with no luck. They were fast and strong, as Liz attested, but they weren't brainless machines. Emotions flickered through their eyes on occasion, and recognition of their siblings, their unit, could be seen when they were spoken to directly.

Alec passed a few soldiers, saluted, and continued on to his private quarters. Unlike most of the transgenics in Terminal City, Alec had made his space his own. Clothes overflowed from a beaten up dresser with drawers that wouldn't shut; a bed sat in the far left corner of the room with a number of pillows; stolen magazines sat on a rickety end table; a standing lamp and a ceiling light were available for use; and a massive window had heavy steel blue curtains hanging on either side of it. A battery powered keyboard sat on its stand to the right beside the dresser, a gift from Joshua, along with three, large, canvas paintings that hung on the blank white walls. It wasn't big, it wasn't organized, and it wasn't perfect, but it was home.

Dropping down on his mattress, Alec stared out the sunny window, the tops of streetlamps and malfunctioning cable wires obstructed his view. A flash of Liz entered his mind, and Alec's jaw clamped down in frustration. Getting her alone was now an impossible task; whenever he had approached her the last few days she had found some excuse to avoid him. It wasn't that he needed her, or that she was significantly special, but he wanted her, and Alec was unused to not getting what he wanted.

A knock at his door snapped him out of his thoughts, "Come in."

"Alec?" Joshua called, entering the room.

"Hey Josh, what's up?"

"Max wants you. Little Fella says it's important," Joshua announced, sniffing the air, and grinning.

"Where is she?" Alec asked, sighing as he got up from his relaxed position. It seemed like every free moment he had not spent sleeping was another moment for someone to ask for his help. He remembered the good old days when he had ties no one and his conscience was squeaky clean of guilt and morals.

"The closed access building behind the low-rise apartments," Joshua said.

"With the traitors?" Alec asked, exasperated.

"Max doesn't like when we call them that." Joshua was ever the faithful friend; sometimes his blind acceptance bothered Alec- which was part of the  
reason why he stuck around him so much, taking advantage of Joshua would not be a difficult thing to do.

"Yeah, yeah; make love not war- whatever," came the response.

"Alec cranky because Liz not talking to him?" Joshua asked with an air of innocence that Alec knew wasn't faked.

"I'm not cranky," Alec snapped, and then regretted it when he saw Joshua frown and withdraw, obviously hurt. "Look I'm sorry. I'll talk to you later, Big  
Fella."

Alec marched out passed Joshua and felt the stiffness in his limbs that he now associated with stress and sexual frustration.

She was one girl. One small, not-so-innocent girl. A single person with an unpleasant attitude. But Liz had that elusive quality that made her difficult to ignore. Maybe she was playing hard to get, Alec thought; but she genuinely seemed disinterested- and that did not make sense.

Looping through the streets with his body on autopilot, Alec watched the blur of transgenics. Nothing had changed since they set up camp in Terminal City, but moral seemed lower than usual. The news of the traitors was a tough hit to the thrill of war. Lydecker was brewing a new scheme, and the grim thought of going back into the cage had them all out for blood; despite the help Lydecker had provided in the past.

"Hey Alec," a disembodied voice shouted out to him, and he paused. Hearing tuning into the pitch and echo- his head swiveled to face the direction of whoever had called his name.

The low-rise apartments were a good forty feet away, but Alec figured if it had been urgent, Max would have sent someone with cleared access to the secure holding where the prisoners were being held.

Murk, a decent soldier with a little too much bat in his mix, appeared in front of Alec; the black wings on his back fluttering, and his fanged teeth protruding from his thin-lipped mouth.

"Heya Murk, how's it going?" Alec asked, clapping his friend on the back- he remembered that he still owed the transgenic money from a lost bet.

"Is it true that Max is keeping those freaks around?"

Alec grit his perfect, white teeth. Freaks. The word was exclusionary, unfair, and obsolete. In the post-pulse world no one was normal, and it was  
beyond intolerable to hear a member of the X series use the word. They were Freak Nation, and anybody who didn't realize that was either stupid or blissfully ignorant- two things that were almost synonymous.

"Bigotry doesn't become you, Murk."

"I'm a bigot because I want those traitors out of here? They don't belong and if Max thinks they do, I'm not so sure that she's fit to lead us."

Transgenics were listening in and some had gathered nearer to listen in on the discussion. Alec did not need this. He was tired, he was overworked, and  
he was frustrated.

"You're a bigot because every one of us is a 'freak' and if your going to start discriminating against other 'freaks' than you are just as bad as the Ordinaries who want to exterminate us," Alec argued.

"They are against us! We shouldn't be inviting the enemy into our territory with a free pass just because Max has some sentimental weakness for them. I'm not saying we exterminate them; I'm just saying we get them the hell out of here," Murk called out loudly, gesturing with his arms in a production worthy of Broadway. He was hamming it up, bringing more attention down on them.

"We don't know why they are here. We know where they are from, but that's it. And we all came from Manticore, we were all pet projects at one time. Isn't that why the Ordinaries want us the hell out of their territory? If they could they would jettison us to another planet. That's what we are fighting against and if you think getting rid of my brothers is going to help our cause, you are dead wrong. If we do this to them we aren't any better than anyone else. Are you a hypocrite?" Liz's voice met the audience as she jumped down from the roof of a nearby building.

Some people disbursed at Liz's appearance- clearly rattled. She was still a wild card that people weren't too sure about. Change was the name of the game, Alec thought, but acceptance was the only a bonus.

"And what right do you have to be here? You show up with some Ordinary in the middle of the night, uninvited, and expect us to treat you like royalty?  
You aren't our leader- we don't have to listen to you. You ran away- what do you know about being a soldier?" Murk pressed, his wings set at attention on his back, his face mean.

"She has as much right to be here as you do, Murk. Back off," Alec barked, a headache starting.

"You're just thinking with your dick," Murk sneered.

Alec was on him in a second, slamming their bodies down against the floor with as much force as he was capable. Muscles bulging and tense, Alec felt his lungs restrict as Murk slammed a compact fist into his stomach- winding him. Fangs sank into his neck, and Alec pulled his upper body away in a fierce  
wrenching movement that tore at his veins and flesh. Bringing his head back, Alec looked into Murk's relatively blind, cold eyes as the X sounded off a horrible sonic noise.

Use blurring speed, Alec head butted his opponent, and dove into a tumble before straightening to face Murk. The red-hot anger colored his mind, tingeing the sanity that usually ruled his otherwise controlled mind. Murk flew at him and Alec took in the force around his torso as he was bull-rushed, and grabbed the transgenic around the waist; firmly gripping Murk's waist, Alec lifted him and heaved him over his body- launching the bat-man twelve feet down the street.

No movement registered and the transgenics lining the street watched with interest as Alec made to continue the fruitless battle. Suddenly, Liz sprang forward into Alec's path, cutting him off.

"Move," he grunted, body tense for the fight.

"This is not going to happen. You're done," Liz ordered, their eyes locked in a battle of dominance.

Alec blew off her words, shouldering his way around her. Others on the street would have noticed at that moment that her body had a hazy glow, but all eyes were on the twitching Murk. In an impressive display, Liz pushed off the ground and launched into a powerful backward flip, landing solidly in a crouch again in Alec's path.

Some of the red began to fade as Liz's voice produced gleaming dots of intelligence through the shroud of feral anger.

"You have a job to do soldier. Max needs you, go," Liz said, her tone still hard and demanding.

Alec regained his senses in spite of the aimless adrenaline pumping through his blood. Liz looked like a stern goddess, hands on her hips, and his frustration with her roiled to the surface. It was a battle of man vs. animal to hold back from grabbing her up into his arms, but Alec curbed it, and with a fierce growl in Murk's direction, he marched off toward the secure building. He hoped that he broke a few of Murk's bones, and the hypocrite could kiss the money he owed him goodbye.

Krit and Syl stood on either side of the only entrance that was not boarded in the building. Neither spoke as Alec passed, but a polite nod was exchanged. Krit and Syl were still obtuse in their socialization with others. They were completely comfortable with one another, but neither breached the board of necessary conversation with anyone else- except Max and Zack, and if Liz would allow anyone to get close, probably her.

Passing Zack who stood outside the holding room in the dank hall, Alec flipped him off. They too had yet to go beyond formality- but that was more for the fact that Zack was a jackass, and Alec would rather be skinned alive than be forced into amiable conversation with the pompous prick.

A brisk double knock heralded his arrival, and ignoring a snide murmur from Zack, Alec swept into the room.

Three hanging laps lit the room in a central line above a steel, four-legged table. Ethan and Raed sat unmoving and unspeaking as Max grilled them from her perch on the end of the table. She looked on edge and irritated as well as thoroughly saddened. Seeing her stare at her two bound brothers caused Alec to feel stirrings of sympathy and guilt about how upset and self-centered he had been earlier.

Two knocks announced Liz's presence as she took up against the wall behind him, and Alec forced himself not to turn and acknowledge her- or worse, show that he cared. He was itching to know what happened when he left the street, but he curbed his instinct.

"Are there anymore like you working for Lydecker?" Max asked, her voice stern.

Silence.

"What is your mission?"

Nothing.

"How long have you been on assignment?"

Blank stares.

"When is your expected return?"

A fluttering of eyelids.

"What are your designations?"

"X5-568," Ethan stated, mouth barely moving, but his voice came out in a booming response.

"X5-690," Raed shouted, his eyes flicking to Liz's eyes from where they had been studying her hands.

"What is your mission?" Max tried once more.

Stillness.

They answered two questions. What is your designation and who do you work for. Apparently they were fixed one way and one way only. They might as  
well be talking to brick walls- at least then you don't expect an answer.

"Why won't you answer me? I'm your sister. Don't you remember me?" asked Max, begging them with her eyes to answer.

"They're like robots," Alec put in, and he received two full force glares- one he saw, the other he felt.

"Who do you work for?" He had heard the question and answer so many times he thought he would have become dull to the sting of anger he felt when  
they were said, but he wasn't.

"Lydecker," they said in unison.

"What is your mission?"

The silence was deafening in its resolution.

Sighing, Max's head inclined an inch before she turned from them. A shadow of Max's resignation shone from her usually fiery eyes.

"Alec I need you to switch off with Zack. He's been here two days straight, and he refuses to stand down until I can replace him with someone with  
actual authority," Max pleaded, and Alec was already prepared to help.

"Sure thing Maxie," he answered.

"Really? No fight? You feeling alright?" she teased.

Biting back his retort that he was not actually alright and that he needed a break too, Alec rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Poke fun and I might change my mind."

"Thanks," she said instead of her usual witty response. She turned back to face the male X5s, but Liz stepped forward.

"Can I have a few minutes alone with them?" Liz requested, and Alec noticed that the two prisoners were staring at Liz with that annoying steadiness.

"I don't want anyone left alone with them. As it is I wanted you back in the infirmary- you weren't supposed to even be out until tonight," Max started,  
shaking her head in a negative response.

"You were alone with them, and I can handle myself. You can't continue to baby me. I am a soldier and I know my limits. Ten minutes. Besides, I already  
sent Zack to the infirmary to check on Maria- she needs protection with all of the unease around here," Liz informed them both.

"How did you get him to leave? He has been refusing me all day," Max said, frustrated.

"We have an understanding. Look, ten minutes is all I want," Liz requested again.

Alec wanted to put in his discomfort at the idea, but Max agreed to quickly and before he could do anything, he was out in the hall with Max.

"You trust them with her?" Alec questioned Max.

"She's got ten minutes," Max responded, refusing to answer to him, but he saw the answer in her body language- she was just as uncomfortable as him.

"Would you need ten minutes to get out of there and kill someone?"

"Alec," came his irritated answer.

"Do you have that much faith in them?"

"I have that much faith in her," Max rejoined.

Liz had ten minutes and then they were coming in.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Ten

Looking at them watching her was unnerving. For three days they had been in this room- three days they had kept her secret. They had leverage, they had blackmail, but they kept their silence. Tactically, keeping information to use against the enemy was smart, but not using it against one of your captors was not.

Liz could see the shadows of her past reflected in their eyes. She knew what it took to look that soulless, to be void of human compassion- and it hurt her to think this was what her brothers had been put through for their whole lives. Like a knife twisting in her back, Liz fought down the rise of emotion empathy. Being a soldier was not an easy life, but it was theirs- choice or not.

"What is your designation?" Start easy.

"X5-568," Ethan proclaimed.

"X5-690," Raed announced.

"What is your mission here?" Liz watched their eyes. Both were well trained- the brief flicker that passed through their eyes almost escaped her…almost.

Taking a different tact, Liz placed both hands palm flat down on the table in front of them, "Do you know who I am?"  
Again that same flicker.

"I'm your sister. I am X5-581," Liz said, leaning down to eyelevel. They stared back at her, but not with blank eyes; they were fully aware who she was. "What has Lydecker told you about me?"

"X5-581: traitor, dangerous, unpredictable. Weakness: to be determined," Raed's voice rang clear. It was a start.

"What about X5-452?" Liz asked, directing it at Ethan.

"X5-452: '09 traitor, dangerous. Weakness: emotions," Ethan rattled off what was probably a standard response.

"Do you remember your childhood?" Liz questioned. They were unresponsive. "Do you remember our unit? How close we were? Do you remember when you would hold me at night when I couldn't sleep- Ethan? Or trying to outrun me on the course- Raed?"

Both stared at her, expressions blank. He had really done it. Lydecker had really wiped out their recollections of their childhood- their unit. Growing up all they had was each other, and even though Liz was young when she was detached from her unit, she remembered them. A transgenic has a long member…having it stolen was like stripping them of their last shred of dignity.

"Why haven't you told them about me? About what you saw?" Liz asked.

For the first time, both men turned their heads to look at one another and communicate silently. They turned in unison to stare back at Liz and a creeping chill tingled her spine. They didn't respond.

"I need to understand you," Liz told them, biting her lip, showing a breakdown in her usual contained demeanor. "I won't let him take your memories."

Going around the table, Liz jerked back Ethan's chair and then Raed's. They continued to stare and that was all Liz needed. Turning to Raed, Liz placed  
her flat hands on either side of his head and stared into his eyes, seeing a flicker of fear.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Breathing deeply, Liz forced the connection, ripping open the psychic link between her and Raed. Connecting with someone else was not like Max Evans had made it seem. It wasn't a simple connection of two people. Psychic strands existed on a telepathic level between every being in the known universe- a link to one another that everyone could tap, but most don't know it is even there. When a mother knows what her newborn needs it is the use of that psychic connection at work. When a person feels the passing of a relative on the other side of the world it is that connection. The mind is a terrible thing to waste- unfortunately, most people do.

A surge of neural energy blacked her vision and in the next moment, Liz was swimming through the oppressed confines of Raed's mind. Convoluted, feral, and battered; the visions of his past assaulted her in pounding severity. At first it was fragmented, pieces unconnected and others jammed in where they shouldn't be; but like a web being restrung, Liz's presence forced the pathways to clear and reconnect. Images of herself as a child, of Max, and Tinga, and the others flitted across her mind's eye and played out in sequential order.

Yanking herself back, pulling away from the vortex of the human mind, Liz found herself back in her own mind, seeing with her eyes into Raed's.

"Adia?" he asked, searching her eyes.

"I have to help Ethan," Liz told him, pulling away before the connection could pull her back in.

Doing as she had with Raed, Liz felt the sensations, battled her way into Ethan's mind, and felt his mind revolting. He wasn't accepting her, he was rebuking her attempts to reach him in a severe backlash that assaulted her like shrapnel in the confines of the connection. It was a push and pull for several moments and Liz thought she would be lost even to herself before she hit something- a strand of sanity among the ravages of his brain. Snares dug at her while she penetrated the thick miasma of Manticore training. The sights she saw, the pain she felt, the hopeless, unrelenting numbness that came with reaching your breaking point. The restoration was searing and slow, but Liz wouldn't leave her brother there.

When she finally pulled back out of it, her world was irrevocably altered with the images she had seen, and the emotions that had wracked her. The eyes that welcomed her when she came back into herself were aware, and awed.

Everything hurt. Her skin was a livewire of heat and ache; her eyes felt too bright; the lancing sensation of hearing was numbing, and every breath was labored. Liz's thoughts were too fast to discern actual meaning, but they wouldn't stop coming. She registered the feel of cool floor, and the sound of a bang before she faded into everything.

Throbbing. She was throbbing. Breathing. She was breathing. She was throbbing and breathing. Both felt unnatural as she awoke. Her eyes came open immediately as her body tensed in the unfamiliar setting. Pulling up, Liz set for an attack. It pained her to use her senses, but she relaxed when her nose picked up the familiar scent of TC.

"How you feeling?" asked a voice behind her.

Turning, Liz masked her pain, and nodded her head. It was a medic she had met once or twice. She was in the infirmary.

"Liz?" It was Maria.

"Yes," Liz answered, trying to recall why she was there. She then remembered helping Ethan and Raed. It had obviously gone downhill from there.

"Are you okay?" Maria asked.

"I'm fine. Where is everyone?" Liz returned.

"Max is with Ethan and Raed," Zack responded; he stood between hers and Maria's beds.

"And Alec?" Liz couldn't curb that question.

"He carried you in, set you down, and then stormed out," Maria informed her- she looked very pleased with this turn of events.

"I don't see what it matters where he is," Zack inserted.

"You wouldn't." Maria told him, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just that your completely absorbed with being a soldier and can't see what's right in front of you. But that just means you are a typical male," Maria  
sniped. Maria never failed to amuse Liz even as she blushed at Maria's implication about her and Alec.

"I am anything, but typical. I was genetically designed to be the way I am." Zack argued, frowning in a rare display of confusion.

"All I'm saying is that you are just like any other guy when it comes to emotions. If they did any tinkering in that department you wouldn't be quite so oblivious, or insensitive," Maria made several emphatic gestures while talking.

"Maria, stop." Liz jumped in. Zack was building a head of steam and between the two of them her head was starting to throb harder.

"Just tell Captain Oblivious I'm right, and I'll be fine."

"I was trained in Special Ops Analysis for intensive training, a term of which lasted six months. I am highly observant," Zack told her- refusing to back  
down.

"Well maybe they skipped a chapter, or two," sniped Maria.

"Are you children?" Max asked from behind them; she had quietly strolled up to them while Maria and Zack bickered.

Neither answered, but both stared at each other, daring the other to say something; Liz fought the urge to laugh at the blatant attraction between them, and mental made a note to herself about Maria's preference for emotional-challenged soldiers with too much attitude.

"How you feeling?" Max asked.

Repetitively, Liz answered, "Fine."

"What did you do?" Liz knew what she was talking about, but she really didn't know what to say in response.

"I helped them." Silently, Liz pleaded with Max to let it go. And she did.

"How is she?" Max demanded of the medic closest to them.

"X5-581 suffered a minor aneurism. Several minute blood vessels ruptured; but remarkably the tissue reformed. No long term damaged seems to have taken place," the medic was the same as last time that Liz had been hospitalized, but she could careless to find out what his name was, or any fact about him. Her thoughts were only for what he was saying.

She was an utter freak. As if growing up in Manticore hadn't been a big enough anomaly in her life, now she was a something completely different. Liz rolled her neck and popped it several times before swinging her legs off the edge of the bed, and standing.

Several protests immediate rose, but Liz shrugged them off, and took off before anyone could do anything. Speed felt amazing. Moving cleared her mind, forcing her to exert her muscles which, so soon after her mental injuries, took all of her concentration. Blurring was nothing to her- it was a release, an outright relaxant. The ground beneath her feet was a phantom sensation that thudded in and out with each running step.

Liz ran for several miles in the confines of Terminal City. As she came around the corner of a narrow block her foot caught on something unseen, and she threw herself into a forward flip- praying as gravity took hold, and landed harshly on her bent legs- skidding with her legs folded under her, knees out in front of her. She stopped a few feet later, sitting on her legs, heels digging into her ass. Her eyes were closed and she was gritting her teeth against the pain of broken glass, asphalt, and debris.

"Do you know how not to hurt yourself?" questioned a voice in the shadows. Alec approached her quickly, and Liz battle the natural reaction to grimace in the face of talking to him when she had been purposefully avoiding him for so long.

"Do you know how not be an asshole for two point five seconds?" Liz deterred, not accepting his hand as she got to her feet, and stood. Her fatigues were torn and blood and skin were meshed, and baldly noticeable.

"What is your problem with me?" Alec burst angrily. It was the first time she had heard anything but jest or ease in his voice.

"Maybe you're coming on to strong Casanova. I'm not interested and maybe if you weren't so full of yourself you would see that," Liz said venomously.

"Not interested?" It was clearly a foreign concept.

"That's right." The wounds were already healing over, bits of glass and debris coming out of their own accord.

"Bullshit. You know you come here; you act like a badass; you pretend you don't care about anything; and you refuse to let anyone in. I get it- you were hurt. Guess what? Everyone here has been too. I don't know what your damage is, but I can tell you that whatever it is, you need to deal with it, and stop letting it affect who you are now," Alec informed her, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at her.

Liz could feel everything roiling inside like a boiling pot of water about to bubble and explode. He thought he knew her. He thought he had an iota of a idea how she felt. He was wrong.

"You think you know even the remotest thing about me? You are probably just like everyone else here. You think I had it easy. You think I went traitor and took off- I couldn't hack it, right? Let me tell you how it really is. I started out with a unit just like you, and I trained, just like you. I went through the routine day after day- my family all that I had that was mine. Then I was shot, and they took that away from me.

"Lydecker had his scientists tinker around with my inside, adjusting my DNA until he got exactly what he wanted. Then I trained harder, went through days of torture, frequent Psy Ops evaluations, and experienced a deadness you know nothing about. They sent me on missions and I killed people. I was slowly becoming numb, and I had to do something. I got out. I clawed my way out of that Hell tooth-and-nail.

"I ran, I hid, I escaped. I trusted no one and nothing. Life was the mission and my goal was to survive. Eventually I landed with a couple of Ordinaries who took me in; but the vicious killer inside was still there- waiting. I went through my paces as a "normal" child. I embodied my new cover- Liz Parker, small town girl. I trained every morning before the town woke and every night long after everyone else was tucked away in their beds. I was prepared for escape every second of every day should I be found.

"I was shot while working. And you want to know what? I wanted to die. When I saw the gun I could have stopped it from happening, or moved at the least, but everything went into slow motion and I realized it could all end. The constant fear of discovery, the non-stop memories of the living nightmares I had experience- it could all be over. But as the Blue Lady would have it, I was touched by an alien. A boy- seeming normal- dissolved the bullet in my body and healed the wound. He changed me that day, and I became even more of a freak than I had already been.

"Then my life became all about protecting his secret and those who were like him. I ended up running from the FBI and a whole new mess of government conspiracy. I entrusted my heart with him because I felt as if we had a true connection- that I had finally found someone as different as me, but I should have known that wasn't true. My best friend died, the other became pregnant, and then HE and his unit left.

"I heard all about Max and what was going on up here. And then I was found. White came for me. Him and his men dug into my past, ripped away the mask Liz Parker had been, and they brutally murder two of the closest people to me. So I ran. I grabbed Maria, and I ran. We went through Hell to get here.

"You think you know me? You only know what you want to see," Liz finished. Her whole body was shaking with the effort of holding herself together. She wanted to fly into a million pieces as each scene flitted through her mind, and every emotion she had bottled up ate at her.

"Aliens?" Alec sounded incredulous.

"Aliens." Liz confirmed, and then turned to leave. Strong hands stopped her, and Liz flew into a rage. She flipped him over her shoulder and got on top of him, proceeding to pummel his face in repetitious hits until he grabbed her hands and shoved her backward off of him.

They both slammed into the brick side of the alleyway. Grunts and groans filled the air as they wrestled for control, neither willing to submit. Liz flexed her muscles and felt his flexing too. It was a ridiculous contest of action, and Liz knew if she wanted she could kill him- she felt the center of power she struggled to control in extreme circumstances, but part of her wanted to give in. To let him hold her. So she did.

Giving in, Liz stopped fighting him and turned into his chest as his arms came around her. She rest her head against his chest submissively and tears poured heavily down her cheeks. Her body wracked against his as his hands massaged her and he laid a cheek against the top of her head- kissing it periodically. Their hold was instinctual, and Liz allowed herself to let go. She had cried in the past, but this was a purging long in the making.

Licking her lips, Liz nuzzled her head against him, and felt his gripping response. He murmured huskily into her hair, nothing intelligible, but comforting. The husk his body was giving off calmed her frayed nerves, and Liz clutched him more tightly in response. How he knew her body she didn't know. Nor did she understand why they fit so well together, but she did understand how he made her feel.

Hiccups broke up her crying, and Liz pulled back. They stared at each other for several long moments, and Liz could feel a connection forming. Her natural reaction was to fight it, to pull away, but she let it happen.

The maelstrom that accompanied their joining was twice as powerful than the norm, but Liz embraced it. It flew through her and she found him. His essence- who Alec was. His weaknesses, his missions, his memories- they laid out before her, and she was in awe. Coming out of it, Liz's body was zinging with energy, her body translucent, her veins shinning, and her power ultimate- a primitive element had touched her when she had touched him, and it was not like anything she had touched before.

"What was that?" Alec asked, he was equally roused, his feral male urges caused him to tower over her.

"I can connect with people," Liz told him. She ran a hand up his arm to his bicep and held it while peering up at him.

"Is that what you did to Raed and Ethan?" Alec asked, tugging her around the waist to grind their lower halves together.

"Yes," Liz growled, and then used her free hand to pull him down to meet her in a fierce kiss. Mashing their lips together, Liz gave in to lust. She opened her mouth and shoved her tongue into his mouth, not pausing in her veracious hunger. In response, Liz was pushed back against the wall, and hoisted up to wrap her legs around his waist.

Higher and hotter they grew. The air crackled and sizzled around them, and they became a mass of gyrating sin. Noise, smell, color- it faded into nothingness. And then it was over in a moment as they heard felt the presence of another.

Panting, Liz turned to see Mole and Joshua averting their eyes and looking elsewhere while mumbling nonsense.

"Not a good time," Alec growled, furiously tense as he held Liz against the wall.

"Little Fella sent us," Joshua said, bashfully playing with a strand of hair.

"Max? It figures," Alec huffed, but didn't move.

"What's going on?" Liz questioned Mole.

"There's a problem," he responded.

"What kind of problem?" Liz pushed.

"White is here, and he's not alone. It seems like Deck isn't as reformed as we thought- and he and White are new found friends."

"I wanted to get fucked today, but this wasn't what I had in mind," Alec said crudely, gritting his teeth as Liz punched him harshly and shoved him  
away. He had only been speaking in half truth, but Liz was irritated by his comment.

"Let's go," Liz ordered. She didn't know what this all meant for her and Alec; but she couldn't think of a better way to take out her frustration than on  
the sons of bitches that started it all.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Eleven

By the time Liz, Alec, and the others had joined the front line Lydecker and White had assembled a small contingent in front of the main entry way. X series soldiers stood in impressive ranks at every possible weak point. Strategically, they were a sound infantry.

"Max, good see you are well," Lydecker called in greeting.

"Why are you here?" Max asked, overriding her natural sarcasm to address current issues.

"You have two of men in there. We have merely come to retrieve them, and talk about what we can do about your current situation," Lydecker replied. White was silent thus far, but his jaw was in a vicious clench- obviously biting back words of war.

"The soldiers you sent into my territory have chosen to stay. We have no situation here. Or do we?" Max questioned in challenge.

"Those two are already a part of another unit. Return them to me, and we won't have a problem."

"They have chosen to stay with their original unit. Back away from our perimeter," Max ordered.

Alec was watching and listening to everything with a neutral expression. Lydecker had brought ten X series soldiers, mostly X7s, and White had his Scooby gang of six. They were lethal, but the numbers they were face far out numbered their own. It was clearly a retrieval operation. Standard numbers and horrific odds, but nonetheless- they hadn't come to conquer.

Glancing around at the faces around him, Alec saw something for the first time that he had never seen- Liz, a radiant soldier of death, was afraid. Her face only showed strength and courage, but a look at her shaking hands, glowing that faint translucent way he had come to recognize as her danger point. She was a bomb ready to explode. She held rank just like the rest, standing strong beside Max and himself.

White spoke next, drawing his attention away from Liz and the question mark that stood between them.

"Give up the others, or we will ripe through you dirty abominations one by one," White barked out, and the others of his group murmured appreciation at  
the suggestion.

"Step one foot into our territory and we'll make you pray for death," Alec informed him, and he tightened his jaw as Max slanted him a look of warning.

"Things do not have to get hostile. We aren't here to harm you. We merely want our men returned to us," Lydecker cajoled.

"They are not your men. The robots you sent here are dead. My brothers are staying exactly where they are," Liz said with a snarl, projecting her voice outward.

"And who might you be?" Lydecker asked.

"That is X5-581," White said, eyes darkening. "We almost had you in Roswell."

"You would never have gotten to me." Alec watched her with an unyielding intensity. He was stunned that Max hadn't stepped in to quiet her, but  
apparently Max was just as interested in the exchange as everyone else present.

"Ever escaping us, 581. You know if you worked with us, things could be more beneficial for the both of us," Lydecker suggested, eyes flaring with interested. Alec clenched and unclenched his fists at that.

"If you ever came near me, I can guarantee you that it would not be beneficial to you."

Alec watched Liz crouch down into a fighting stance, ready to launch at him should be breathe in her direction. Max stepped forward then, and Alec held his breath.

"You want "your men"? Come and get them," Max challenged, opening her arms in the universal sign to 'bring it'.

White and his men got into position much like Liz and several overzealous soldiers. Lydecker's men also took stance, but Deck seemed off his game- he waved them back, stopping the confrontation.

"Maybe we can work together on this, 452."

"Or not," Max said with a slanted 'get real' look. Alec smirked when she saw Lydecker's face drop. "Leave now." It was an order. It was also a defining moment. Alec took the defense position, and he waited.

"Fall back," Lydecker shouted. There was a collective intake of breath around him, and Alec watched as White and his men scowled. It surprised him that White and his men were the submissive partners in that alliance. The X series seemed indifferent- which was not unusual for the X7s.

"We will be in touch," Lydecker promised, and Alec didn't miss the way his eyes lingered on Liz longer than the others before his own retreat.

Max started barking orders and everyone jumped to attention immediately. Liz seemed frozen in place- ready to attack still. Mole and Joshua came over to him, and Alec had a half assed conversation regarding the next weaponry mission. Things were registering, but his attention was focused on Liz. When she finally pulled back into herself, she seemed to realized many eyes were averting away from her- obviously interested in her interaction with Lydecker and White.

"Alec," Max called.

Liz's eyes met his and Alec felt a fissure between them, and she took off in a blur.

"Alec!" Max repeated. Alec snapped out of it, and turned to face Max.

"Heya Maxie. What needs doing?" He watched as her anger and tensions cracked a bit at his nickname, and wanted to pat himself on the back.

"Shut up. I need you to organize a group of soldiers fit to be C.O.s. We need to up the training if White and Deck have joined forces," Max announced.

"Joined forces? Good cliché Maxie," Alec teased.

"Get serious- now," Max ordered, expression deadly. Obviously she wasn't in the mood for that much teasing.

"Yes ma'am, Maxie," Alec pushed the envelope, but turned serious. "When do you want the list, and how soon will training commence?"

"I need the list by 1800 hours. Training will begin tomorrow at 0400. Make sure those who are schedule for guard, or other activities find a smooth  
transition from their duties to training," she informed him.

Alec was already categorizing a list of names and times. He watched as Zack approached them, stone-faced and commanding. He hoped this wasn't going to be another power-tripping convo about desertion, and the current chain of command.

"Max?" Zack questioned, pausing for once- waiting to be addressed.

"What Zack?" Max asked, she was anticipating trouble as much as Alec- at least that's what the tone of her voice said.

"I am requesting permission to guard the infirmary while the others train. I will train in off hours-" Zack began, and just as Alec thought he was finished, but Zack surprised him by adding, "-should you find this acceptable."

He was asking instead of demanding? Alec shook his head in shock, but didn't let his face express what he was feeling. Watching Max was almost as entertaining as hearing Zack ask for something. She was completely at a loss for words. It took her a full ten seconds to come out of it- Alec counted.

"Request granted. Active duty begins immediately," Max answered him. Zack's didn't change, but his body relaxed a degree- Alec wondered what was going on with him, but dismissed it once Zack was gone.

"So I guess he's off the list," Alec said.

"Yeah," replied Max, staring off into the direction her brother had disappeared to.

"Anything else Maxie?"

"No. Dismissed," Max said absentmindedly.

Alec didn't stick around for her to change her mind, and took off in the direction of the bar. A pitcher of beer sounded good at that moment, given the  
events of the day. As he walked in, Alec spotted Jondy at the pool table- she had been one of the first to disband after the confrontation with Lydecker and White.

Ordering a pitcher at the bar, Alec walked over to the pool table and took a seat on the edge. Jondy spared him a glance as she sank a shot, and then another. They hadn't spoken much after hooking up, and Alec realized that he actually cared. Jondy seemed like a good person- something he rarely attributed to anyone.

"So you here on Max's behalf, or you here for something else?" Jondy questioned after sinking the last ball into a corner pocket on a side shot.

"Little bit of both. I think you'd make a good C.O. and I'm going tell Max that. She wants to start training up the soldiers around here. Keeping them at their peaks. But that's not why I came here," Alec told her, and just then teenage X6 brought Alec his pitcher of beer, but didn't respond when he winked at her in thanks. "I figured I'd have a few beers."

"You want to make me a C.O.?" questioned Jondy. Alec glanced up from the glass he was draining to see Jondy's disbelieving look.

"Sure. You're strong, fast, sexy- why not? You were in Max's original unit- you know the ways of Manticore. I would say you are more than qualified," Alec commented off-handedly.

"To get a choice?" Jondy asked. Alec was confused as to where the problem was.

"Why?"

"I don't want to be a C.O. I'm not meant for that. I'm a part of a unit, not the leader of one."

"That doesn't mean you can't become a leader. A leader is just as much a part of the unit as anyone else- more so even," Alec pursued.

"I don't want this," Jondy told him definitively.

"Why?" he asked again.

"Because if someone dies, then it's my fault. I'm not strong enough for that. I'm not Max, or you, or Zack, or Liz. You are leaders. I'm not meant for this  
position. I don't even think I'm meant for this life.

"Everyone thinks that because some scientist tinkered with my DNA, I am meant for this life. That's not true. That is what I realized when I was a kid- and it's why I escaped with the others. We are innately soldiers, but who we are is in our hearts. It's easy to see who belongs and who doesn't. I will fight. I will follow Max. But I know I'm meant for more. I guess what it comes down to, is where your loyalty lies. Mine is beside my family. I am meant to be Max's sister- I believe that. That's why I'm here. So, no. I don't want to be a C.O." Jondy concluded.

It was weird, Alec thought, watching as Jondy took off for the door with haste. He hadn't thought of life in those terms. He was a soldier. He was an alpha male. But maybe that's what Jondy was getting at. He was meant for this life- but not everyone felt that way. For a long time, Alec had wondered why the 09ers had chosen desertion. He also wondered why his twin- Ben- had gone insane. Maybe he was meant for Manticore, and had found out too late.

Downing the next few glasses, finishing off the pitcher, and giving another wink to the waitress who had attended him- Alec left the bar. He made his way back to his room. He'd make the list Max wanted, take a quick nap, and take off to meet with Max. Sounded like a plan.

When he reached his door though, Liz stood waiting for him. He hadn't even known she knew where he lived, let alone that she would use that knowledge to deliberately seek him out. Given her Alec-phobia the last few days, he thought she might still be swimming in the sea of denial.

"Well this is a surprise," he greeted. Upon further inspection, he noticed that she didn't look all that happy. "What?"

"You are a pig," Liz said, hands on her hips.

"What?"

"What was the comment you made before we had to go face off with Lydecker and White? Oh yeah: 'I wanted to get fucked today, but this wasn't what I had in mind'. Tell me what you had in mind, Alec," hissed Liz.

"Really? This is what you are going to greet me with? No kiss? No hug?" Alec joked.

"Forget it," Liz said and began to march passed him. He grabbed her before she go, and held her elbow even though she refused to turn and face him.

Leaning in, Alec whispered to her, "When you stop finding excuses for why we can't be together, come find me. But until you stop being so scared to let this happen, don't seek me out."

"I'm not scared," she denied.

"You've been running since the moment you escaped Roswell, and you have yet to stop. Be who you are meant to be. Don't hide from it," Alec reiterated what Jondy had just told him.

"Let go of me."

"You got it," Alec said, and he released his grip on her before stalking away and into his apartment, slamming the door behind him.

He waited to hear her receding footsteps, but she stood there for several moments. Alec wondered if he had reached her. He wondered if she would wake up, turn around, and come to him. But he knew she wouldn't do that just yet. She wasn't ready yet. She was still afraid, as he had said.

Two more minutes passed with Liz standing in his hallway before she left. Her hesitation gave him a sense of hope. Something he hadn't allowed himself to feel when it came to women in a long time- and the memories that came with that hope had him scowling. He didn't know the last time a woman had twisted him up inside- it was ridiculous, but unlike Liz, he was coming to accept that it was a part of him. He would be who he was meant to be.

Alec laid back on his bed and closed his eyes, running through each name that he would consider a leader- crossing Jondy off his list- and slowly picking out the strongest individuals. Strength in all areas was his single requirement. Male, female- it didn't matter when it came to being a leader of a transgenic unit. He had been chosen as an alpha who excelled in all areas- and that was the standard to which he was holding everyone he chose.

When that was done, he closed his eyes, and hoped when he opened them again things wouldn't seem quite so grim.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Twelve

He was a frustrating, self-absorbed…Liz paused her line of thought. She was not going to think about him right now. Alec was wrong. He was dead wrong. She was not afraid of anything. She was smart. She wasn't going to take unnecessary risks- and Alec was an unnecessary risk. Liz remembered what her grandmother had said to her on her death bed, to follow her heart; but this was not an instance where that was the right thing to do. If she gave in, she would just cause herself more troubles than she needed to.

God, Liz needed to see Maria. It felt like forever since they had had a heart to heart that wasn't monitored by every inhabitant of Terminal City. She needed her friend. She need to get away from her life. Nothing was going right.

As she got nearer to the infirmary, Liz noticed how barren the streets were. Normally transgenics were flitting about, some socializing- but it seemed Lydecker and White had raised the alert, and everyone was responding accordingly. Max hadn't addressed her directly with a specific order, so she assumed that she was unneeded as of yet.

Liz was about to march into the infirmary when little Michael stepped into her view, halting her progress. He shook his head mutely, and nodded to the side of the building. Liz followed with a curiosity that consumed her. Why had he stopped her. She hadn't talked to him in a while, but she trusted him. As they made their way around the building- ultra-aware- Liz heard voices, and stopped by a window that shone down into the infirmary, directly above Maria's cot. With her superior hearing, Liz listened in.

There was shuffling, and then a male voice reached her.

"You shouldn't move," he said. That was Zack! Liz would know his voice anywhere.

"Listen hear G.I. Joe, I need to stand up. This whole bed rest thing is driving me nuts. I was a waitress- I'm used to moving around and doing things for myself," Maria argued back, flipping her hair in, what Liz recognized to be, a determined manner.

"The doctors think it best for you to remain in bed. I have been assigned guard duty here, and you will fall into rank."

"Fall into rank? Someone's on a power trip. And you are here to guard, not nag. Go…guard. I'll only stand for a minute or so." Maria shoved Zack back- and because she was by far the more fragile of the two- he allowed her too, but caught her elbow and lifted her up into his arms- not allowing her to stand. "Put me down you Neanderthal!"

"You Ordinaries always make things difficult. Why can't you follow an order?" Zack sounded extremely puzzled, still not allowing her to stand on her own.

"I have a name. It's Maria. M-A-R-I-A, Maria. Use it. And what is it will all you super soldiers, and thinking I'm just going to jump when you say to jump? I am a free woman of the 21st century. I can make up my own mind about sitting or standing. Now put me down," Maria demanded, shoving at his shoulder- not even budging him.

"I am not saying to jump, Maria. I am saying to lay down and rest. We are doing this with your optimum health in mind." Zack ignored her pushing, holding Maria as if she weighed nothing. Liz noticed that in the short time she hadn't seem Maria- her stomach had expanded quite noticeably. It was strange that she had grown so much. Abnormal. Almost…Alien. Liz's eyes widened at the thought.

"Look, put me down and let me stand for a couple minutes, and I'll try not go give you so much "trouble". Deal?" coaxed Maria, putting on her innocent face.

Liz couldn't quite believe what she was seeing when Zack placed her gently- as if she were made of glass- on her feet; his arm remaining around her should she need assistance. Zack had just taken an order. From an Ordinary. From Maria. Liz gaped in amazement, and backed away from the window and slid down the side of the building.

How was this happening? Zack, her big brother, pushy badass with a chip on his shoulder was letting his guard down. Liz knew that Maria was amazing, and she herself had cracked slightly under the Maria babble- but seeing Zack do it? It just didn't seem feasible. Liz glanced up at little Michael who was looking down at her with concerned eyes.

"How long have they been talking?" Liz whispered- not wanting to clue Zack in to their presence.

"Since you sent him here to watch over her. Miss Maria is pretty. That's what she told me to call her," little Michael added, obviously uncomfortable with the informality of it.

"She asked you to call her Miss Maria?" questioned Liz.

"I was asked to wheel her outside, and she said it reminded her of something called Driving Miss Daisy, and when I addressed her, she told me to call her Miss Maria." Little Michael looked adorable, standing with an innocuous expression on his face as he explained himself. Liz smiled for him, and then joined him again at the window.

Zack was helping Maria back onto her cot, and when she sighed in content, Liz could have sworn she had seen a flicker of a smile on his face. There was definitely something there. Something more than what Liz could possible understand at that moment. But as Zack retreated to his post, Liz slipped back to the front of the building.

Marching passed Zack, who nodded in greeting, Liz made a beeline to Maria. Cozy as could be in her bed, Maria had a radiant smile waiting for Liz, and it warmed her. She missed Roswell and her family- or the one she had created- but Maria was a piece of that life she had with her.

"Hey chica, where have you been? Hi Michael." Maria said. She greeted Michael with a wave.

"Miss Maria," little Michael said, standing pin straight while Liz took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"I've been well. Miss Maria," Liz teased. Her tension was melting away as she talked to her best friend.

Maria laughed in response, and her skin glowed slightly. In fact, Liz noted, Maria seemed to be glowing all over. Not in a supernatural freaky way, but she had that pregnant beauty. Her skin was flawless, her hair was silken and blond, her smile infection- but in addition to those, her stomach protruded obtrusively. Maria was far enough alone to have a bump, yes, but Liz wasn't sure it was normal to be quite that large.

"How do you feel?" Liz asked concerned.

"Fine. Better than fine. I'm ready to get out of here. But they say I need bed rest. People around here are pushy," Maria complained.

"That's because they aren't regular people, Maria. They are soldiers. Chain of command is everything. If you were ordered to rest, you are going to  
rest," Liz enforced with resolution. She hated pulling rank, but Maria had learned a long time ago that when Liz insisted on something, it was usually for a highly important reason.

"What am I? The bottom of the totem pole? You know I've taken care of myself my whole life."

"You weren't pregnant before. You weren't in the midst of a war. Your life wasn't at major risk. You have to trust us to do what's right for you," Liz informed her.

"Liz, I just-" Maria paused. "Michael, could you give us a moment?"

Little Michael nodded and left them. Liz didn't want to tell Maria her attempts at privacy were futile, she knew that would just upset her.

"Liz, I just don't feel like this is my life anymore. You know? I mean, I lived as a free person for so long, and now- suddenly- I'm expected to fall in line? I'm to give up the right to stand and speak and do as I please? I feel like I'm not me anymore." There were tears in Maria's eyes, and Liz sympathized. She knew this was hard on her friend. She knew long before they reached TC that things wouldn't be sunshine and daisies. But they were there, and they needed to survive. Survival was key.

"I know, Maria. I understand. But this isn't the life you had before. This isn't Roswell, and you can't go back. I'm sorry," Liz said. Tears were welling in her own eyes, but as usual she clamped down, bit her the bullet, and hugged Maria. Maria's round belly pressed against Liz between them as they hugged, and both laughed.

"You are so different, Liz." Maria pulled back from the hug and looked into Liz's eyes. They were piercing, but Liz met them head on.

"I told you that I was. That you couldn't fully understand what I am, or why I am the way I am. This is the life I was born to, only worse. I wish I was who  
you thought I was. I wish I could be the girl on the pedestal that Max made me out to be. But I'm not."

"That's not what I mean. I get that you are uber soldier with badass moves, and animal DNA. I mean that, you seem so closed off. It's like you shut down so long ago, and cocooned everything inside. I loved how unafraid you were to love, Liz. You and Max might not have been meant for one another, but you didn't hold back. You let yourself feel, and that's what I was always so jealous of. Michael could never do that, he couldn't open up." Maria placed a hand over her stomach protectively, reverently. "And now I'll always have a piece of him."

"About the baby, Maria. Do you think this is normal? I mean you are growing abnormally fast. Last time I saw you this bump was a lot smaller," Liz broached.

"You just avoiding the question by saying I'm fat." Maria looked on the verge of tears again.

"You aren't fat. It's the baby. All I'm saying is that maybe the baby takes after its father," Liz was deliberately avoiding the issue Maria wanted to talk about. She would not talk about it. Not for the second time today.

"You think that the baby is a…Czechoslovakian?" Maria promptly burst into tears, and Liz sighed mentally. Liz knew that the thought had occurred to Maria, but maybe the current physical evidence and Liz's voicing of the idea had been a little too much for her. Hormonally, Maria was naturally an unstable person. Pregnant, Maria was a maelstrom of confusing emotions- the rollercoaster ride of which did not stop.

"Maria," Liz made some shushing noises while reaching around Maria's back to rub it, her belly brushing hers again.

"I hate him," Maria whispered angrily, pulling away from Liz to brush the tears away from her cheeks.

"Who?" Liz asked, lost again. It happened often when Maria was speaking emotionally.

"Michael. He left me. He left this planet, and now I'm alone. Liz I'm so scared. I'm trying to be strong, but what if I'm not a good mom. Look at me, I'm an utter mess. How is this mom material? And what if it is a Czech? What then? I don't know how to answer his or her questions about being one, or what it means to be one, or how to use his…natural talents." Maria was now in full on hysterics, and several transgenics were listening in with interest- each of them carefully averting their eyes, but their stillness betrayed their interest.

"Calm down." Liz tried to calm her, and slowly Maria relaxed into her hold. "You aren't alone. I will never leave you alone. Like my unit, you are my family, Maria. I have no doubt that together we can handle this. You are not alone."

"Liz?" little Michael asked. He had approached quietly from behind, but Liz had heard him coming. She had also heard Zack by the door telling him to come inform her that Max needed to speak with her.

"Yes?" asked Liz. Maria's head was on her shoulder, sniffling, but not crying.

"You are to report to Max immediately. Mandatory attendance." He looked very much like he didn't want to be disturbing them, and his eyes were large, staring at Maria.

"Noted."

"Miss Maria?" little Michael asked.

"Yes?" Maria chimed, lifting her head high, attempting to appear as though she hadn't been sobbing moments before.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, why?"

"Because you are crying." He said it as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, but with as much respect as she deserved.

"I'm not hurt physically, no," Maria responded, and she seemed to see in him what Liz had when she had first met little Michael. He didn't understand emotions well- he hadn't been allowed to experience them. Manticore made sure to be the humanity right out of its prized soldiers.

"Are you going to be okay?" Liz asked, focusing on Maria.

"I'll be fine. Go. Be a good little soldier," Maria told her, cracking a smile, albeit it was a bit watery.

"Yes ma'am," Liz said in mock salute. She saluted little Michael, then smiled at him with a wink. "Take care of my friend?"

"Yes ma'am." Little Michael mocked a salute the same way Liz just had, and she laughed out loud. Maria joined in a moment later too.

Marching out of the infirmary, Liz realized she hadn't really had the conversation she'd been looking to have with Maria, but now wasn't the time. Maria was a mass of convoluted emotions and thoughts. Part of Liz hated Michael too, having left Maria behind; having abandoned them after all they had done for them. But another part knew why he had done it, and that if he knew he had a child on the way he would have stayed. Maybe it was better this way, Liz thought. Maybe it was better that he stay with his unit. Michael wasn't equip to be a father, or to handle a pregnant Maria- he barely held his own against regular everyday Maria.

Passing Zack, Liz noticed he had shifted his head toward Maria, and he looked ten seconds away from joining little Michael at her side. He seemed to be attracted to women who played themselves off as strong most of the time, but deep down they were fragile. His infatuation with Max had been a long time deal, but from the looks he was casting Maria, as covertly as possible, Max had been replaced.

They trek to meet Max wasn't long, but when she found her, it was in a room with twenty other transgenics. Max and Alec stood out among them, and Liz's mood turned sour again. He stood arms crossed, stance strong, and face impassive. When Liz made her way toward the front and stood off to the side, she could feel eyes on her. More than half of the others were still looking at her with question in their eyes.

"Alright, settle down." It was silent.

"I've assembled you because you have been chosen. Each of you will be given a list of names. These names will be your new unit. You each are to train and command a group of X series, or Normalies. Should you choose not to fulfill this duty, you will be reassigned to guard duty," Max informed them sternly. It sounded as though choosing that option would be the worse of the two.

"Anyone want to back out?" Max called to the group. No one responded. Liz was not a happy camper. She was not wanted here. She was not someone anyone here trusted, and everyone knew it. Why she had been picked to be a C.O. she had no idea. Max knew she was solitary- it had taken so long for her to come out in train in public period. How did this translate into a good idea at all, Liz thought to herself.

Alec came around with the lists. He checked through the names of the soldiers present and the lists in his hand, and then handed each one out to the correct individual. He saved Liz for last. She knew he had done it on purpose, and when she took the list from him, it occurred to her that it was he who had chosen them.

"You did this," Liz whispered accusingly. He smirked in response, and march back to Max's side.

Steaming, Liz reviewed her list. Jondy, Krit, Syl, Raed, Ethan, and a bunch of other names she didn't recognize. At least she knew some of them. But in the same token, Liz would have preferred not to have anyone she knew in her unit- she didn't want her family to know just how fucked up she really was. When she fought, Liz lost herself to Adia. She became the soldier. A vicious, unrecognizable being of anger and cold blood. But she would not back down. If Max told her she was to fulfill this duty, she would. Simple as that.

"Training will commence tomorrow at 0400. Every transgenic on your lists have been informed of the training process. You will be required to train from 0400 until 1400. Half of your unit will appear at 0400 and then the other half will change out with them at 0900. You will be in charge of what you teach your unit, but they had better be in top shape. I will be making rounds periodically to check your progress. Your training site is listed at the top of your list. Questions?" No one spoke. "Dismissed."

The others left hurriedly, marching out the doors; some speaking as they reached the exit. Liz held back. Max and Alec stood talking a ways away, and Liz thought about her approach. Stiffly, she marched over to them- saluting Max. Both appeared surprised at her behavior, but neither questioned her as they saluted her back.

"Permission to speak?" Liz questioned. She was infuriated, but she was going to keep things civil.

"Liz you don't need to do this," Max stated, confused. When Liz continued to stare at her without speaking, Max sighed. "Permission granted."

"Why was I chosen?" Liz asked flat out. There would be no dancing around the issue.

"Alec was in charge of choosing appropriate C.O.s. I approved the list. You are a strong soldier, Liz," explained Max. The look in her eyes said that she understood Liz's upset, but that she was going to stand by her second in command.

"Why was I chosen?" Liz redirected the question to Alec. He was staring at her, and his posture was that of insolence.

"Because you fit the profile. Demanding, fit, and you fight well." It sounded like compliments, but it wasn't. She could hear the "because I said so" in his tone.

"I'm sure there is someone better qualified," Liz suggested.

"Are you questioning my judgment?" Came her reply.

"I believe I know myself better than you, yes," Liz threw back, biting venom in her tone. He was pressing her last nerve and she was fighting to repress the surges of power.

"Are you questioning our leader's judgment? She did approve my decision," Alec rejoined.

"Maybe I'm questioning where she places her faith."

"Enough. Whatever problem is between you two, fix it. Liz, you are a good soldier. One of the best. I know it, you know, and soon so will your unit. Dismissed." Max barked at them, and Liz felt herself turning red with embarrassment and anger.

Saluting them again, Liz marched off with defiance in every step. Tomorrow would come, and Liz would do what she was told. But Alec had his coming, and oh was it coming.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Thirteen

It was like a time warp had dropped him back into his days at Manticore. All the soldiers in their units, marching, fighting, taking orders- Alec could almost see the forest and the barbed wire fences. The COs had been promptly up and at their assigned training locations a good ten minutes before they were supposed to be. Everyone seemed eager, as if they had been waiting for this moment- where their lives would take on the order they had been used to for most of their lives.

Observing from the sidelines, Alec could appreciate their symmetry, the way they found a rhythm with their unit; it was eerily unnatural, and yet right at the same time. The chosen COs were not going lightly either, everyone seemed serious in their duties. Alec had only been through about half of the training sites, and he had to admit he was anticipating seeing how Liz was fairing.

Liz's anger at him had been both amusing and expected. After their exchange in front of Max, Alec was sure he would catch flack for it- but Max had surprised him. Her response- which came at the bar later that night- was to look at him oddly, and warn him not to hurt Liz. Alec had to admit he was stunned, and a part of him was disturbed, as if Max knew something he didn't. Then she had disappeared to go speak with Raed and Ethan; something that she was making a habit of.

Approaching a large empty building, Alec walked through the rusty doors that were wide open. A draft breezed around him, and Alec discretely made his way to the outskirts of the center of the large room. Rows and rows of soldiers stood looking straight-forward with focused gazes. Some were clearly awaiting instruction, but Alec noticed several Xs who were staring at Liz- who stood front and center- with contempt and unease.

It was then that Alec heard Liz's voice carrying on the wind- strong and impartial.

"I have been assigned your CO. I realize that some of you are unhappy with this turn of events, but I am here to prepare you for the coming fight against White and Lydecker. You will section off into groups of four. We will be practicing team combat," Liz announced.

Alec watched as everyone followed her orders, some mumbling under their breath- most just stoic figures. Watching the groups break up, Alec came to stand beside Liz. She didn't acknowledge his presence, but Alec could see the tense lines of her shoulder blades through the fatigues she was wearing. Her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and her face was like granite.

"Report soldier." Alec spoke to her directly, and watched as her jaw clenched as she turned to him.

"The shift change just occurred. The last group progressed well, we move through standard battle strategy and team combat. We are on schedule," she informed him.

"Any trouble?" Alec questioned, stepping closer, almost invading her personal space. Liz's eyes flickered with something indistinguishable, but she merely shook her head. "Now is this as terrible as you thought it was going to be?"

Liz glared daggers at him, but did not respond. She turned her back on him, ordering everyone to take fighting stance. When they began fighting, she circled the groups- ignoring Alec's presence behind her.

"Are you not going to talk to me?" Alec asked after fifteen minutes of her continued silence.

Liz didn't even turn to look at him. Alec was about to demand that she turn and speak to him- frustrated with her silent treatment- when a vicious fight broke out to their left. There was a resounding crack, and a fairly young X6 slammed to the ground. Liz blurred into the fight before it registered that one of the X5s had taken a particularly angry turn. Obviously an argument had broken out.

Alec watched as Liz grabbed hold of the X5's ankle as it was about to collide with the face of another soldier, and shoved her backward, sprawling onto the concrete floor. Liz shouted out for everyone to stop, and the mini-groups all around them came to a halt. Liz knelt down beside the X6- he was probably no more than seventeen- and assessed his injuries.

"Name?" Liz asked in gentler tone than Alec was used to hearing her use.

"Jason."

Alec joined them, and as he stood over the boy, realized that his leg was broken. The harsh crack had been the sound of his leg snapping. With a glance back at the fallen X5, being restrained by a pair of Xs nearby, Alec wasn't sure what had prompted the brutality. During training, transgenics were taught to spar without leaving marks on their partner. Breaking a leg, arm, etc., was a pure break of protocol.

"You have a broken femur. You will be taken to the infirmary and attended," Liz informed him, already pointing to a pair of X6s his age to help him. "You will not be allowed back to training until it is mended."

"But I'll fall behind," the X6 argued, and that was when Alec realized he had spoken out of turn. It seemed like some of the other Xs- around Liz' age or younger- were less afraid to speak with her. It was progress. Slow, but there.

"When you are well, I will spend extra time with you, one on one. Dismissed soldier," Liz ordered. She shifted awkwardly again as she watched her orders being followed. Alec remembered that feeling- it had happened to him when Lydecker had promoted him to CO.

Liz turned to the X5 female, maybe 26, who had caused the problem. A granite expression of anger settled into Liz's features, and Alec wondered where this was going. He wouldn't mind seeing a cat fight. Even if it ended up with him having to take the other woman to the infirmary, or worse, get between them to stop too much blood shed.

"Name?" Liz demanded, voice cold.

"X5-772," came the response.

"I asked for your name," Liz reiterated. The pair of Xs holding the short, stocky blond stood straighter when Liz turned the full force of her stare in their direction.

"I have not chosen one. Only deserters and the weak have chosen names," said the blond.

Alec couldn't believe what he had just heard. He knew that some transgenics were having a harder time of settling in than others, but he hadn't realized to what extent. Obviously this woman, and maybe others, were unhappy about being away from Manticore, or their life. Glancing back over to Liz, he noticed that her hands were taking on a slightly translucent appearance, but the slant of her mouth indicated that she was fighting herself.

"Explain your actions."

"I was fighting as per instructed," the woman claimed.

"Breaking the leg of another transgenic is not part of instruction. I want fifteen laps around the perimeter, and then you will be reassigned from this unit to the infirmary- they could always use a hand cleaning up," Liz replied, steel in her tone. "Who will run with her? Obviously X5-772 needs a refresher on how things are done."

Almost every soldier in the room took a step forward as a volunteer, and Alec smirked. The blonde's face had turned a shade of red, but she kept her mouth shut. Liz picked a tall, well-muscled X5. Alec recognized him; it was Grey, an old CO. They had talked a few times, he seemed like a nice enough guy, he got the job done.

"Name?" Liz asked.

"Grey."

"Fifteen laps around the perimeter. No side trips, no food breaks- the only exception is for a restroom breaks. We clear?" Liz questioned, her stance demanding. It was weird for Alec, watching someone so small as Liz command someone so big as Grey. But Grey nodded like the good soldier he was, and saluted Liz, who did so in turn.

"You do not harm another member of your unit. You do not break protocol," Liz told the blond, and then Liz leaned in closer- Alec had to strain to hear her next words. "I am not weak. I am not a deserter. No one here is, and the next time I hear you say otherwise, I will put you down. I don't care if you know better, or not. You have been warned." And then louder and back to her original stance, "Dismissed."

Grey and X5-772 marched out of the building, and Alec paused a moment longer to see Liz order everyone back to training. Side-stepping a sparring pair, Alec joined Liz as she foresaw a particularly young pair. It took him a minute to gain her attention, but he knew that she knew he was their when her body froze in the familiar way it did.

"Good work, soldier," Alec whispered close to her ear. Her body seemed to lean back into his for a moment, but the next she was ramrod stiff, unyielding.

"Thank you," she returned.

"Come by the bar tonight for drinks," Alec told her, and then, before she could answer, he made for the door. He still had rounds to do.

As he made his way down more streets, he watched two blurred figures race the perimeter, and smirked. Grey was doing his job.

Making it to the next training location, Alec searched out the CO. It was Ash, a short red head with a Manticore perfect face, and fit body to kill. She was doing hand on hand combat with each of the transgenics. They were in perfect rows, each waiting their turn. Seeing Ash, a genial woman in her free time, kick the ass of men twice her size with ruthlessness, reminded him of Liz. Of just how fucked up Manticore was.

Alec remembered the days when he thought Manticore was a fine institution, refined and in control. He remembered the days before Rachel and what peeled the blind fold back from his eyes. Psy-Ops had done their part to make him the perfect soldier he had been before, but Max and the outside world had served the greatest of reminders. This lifestyle was fucked up, and like Jondy said, they weren't all meant for it. He couldn't imagine not being a soldier, but he could imagine what his life would have been life had Rachel lived.

Putting on his poker face and shoving his thoughts off- they weren't of any use- Alec made his way to where Ash was fighting. A few Xs recognized him and waved, but Alec noted that most of them were in soldier mode- too wrapped up in studying Ash's technique to greet him, or acknowledge anything else.

Turning his attention to Ash, he watched as she flipped over backwards, and nailed a roundhouse to the female transgenic sparring her. It took two more speedy kicks to bring her opponent down hard. The woman on the ground was Kylie, a former second in her unit back at Manticore. Alec had thought about making her one of the COs, but she couldn't hold her own when it came to speed. Speed was an excellent weapon, too important to overlook.

"You need to center your balance, you favor your left too much. You also slow down after each attack, you need to speed up. Take a five laps around the building. You will be timed," instructed Ash. The second Ash nodded to an X off to the side- he was timing everything- Kylie was gone.

"Hey Ash," Alec greeted. Ash paused from calling her next partner up.

Her radiant smile hit him, and Alec forgot for a second about the fact she was a violent femme fatale. Ash excelled at solo missions where she was a teacher, or someone in a motherly roll. It was deceptive, but- Alec thought- who knew. Maybe someday she could turn out to be a typical housewife. If they ever made it through whatever was headed their way.

"Alec," she said with a smile. He would admit to having had a night or two with her, she was attractive with her many curves and flaming hair.

Remembering their audience, and why he had come, Alec turned serious. "Report."

"Hand to hand combat and speed evaluations. The shift was expedient, and only one accidental injury. Cracked rib, the X6 is in the infirmary getting bandaged. A day and she'll be back on her feet."

"Good. Carry on," Alec ordered. Ash saluted him as Liz had- very briefly- before returning to her work.

Alec stayed to watch a while more, but move on. He wanted to finish up and then get back to Mole and Joshua. Mole was working on the next run, and Josh promised to save him some food. There wasn't much time for food while making his rounds. Alec might even run into a stray bet or another- he was running a little low on cash. Worse came to worse he would sell the cigars he had picked up a couple missions ago. Mole ran through them like Alec went through women.

The last of the units were all similar. By the time Alec had finished assessing everyone's progress he was beyond hungry. He caught glimpses on his way back to command central of Grey and the blond. Grey waved to him at some point, and Alec smirked and half waved at him.

Finally reaching Mole and Joshua, Alec snatched up the sandwich set aside for him and tore into it. Josh gave him a big smile and he returned it between bites. Mole started filling him on the next mission. It was more complex structurally, and more transgenics were involved. Analyzing the mapped out route and names of those going, he noticed that he wasn't on it.

"Mole, buddy, you made a mistake," Alec said, finishing off his last bite.

"What? Where?" Mole growled. He hated any insinuation he wasn't pulling his wait.

"Look at the names, my friend. You forgot mine," Alec told him, tapping the corner of the large layout.

"Nope, no mistake. Max requested you stay here on this one," Mole said.

Glancing again at the list of names, Alec noticed that Liz was on it. How was it that she was going and he wasn't? He saw Zack's next. Who was taking point? He ran through the list several more times and couldn't find one person he would put in charge on it.

"Who's in charge on this one?" questioned Alec. "And why aren't I going?"

"I am taking point. And you aren't going because I need someone here while I'm gone," Max spoke up from behind him.

Turning to face her, Alec's eyebrows flew up on his forehead. Raed and Ethan stood on either side of her, arms behind their back. Alec wondered when they had been allowed out.

"Am I missing something? This is only a run for necessities. I always take point," Alec said.

"Actually, things have change. We are detouring. We're bringing someone back with us," Max said. Mole swore behind them, muttering something under his breath about last minute configurations.

"Who?"

"Sandeman." Max stated, folding her arms over her chest.

"Father?" Joshua asked, jumping in from his spot ten feet away.

"That's right Big Fella." Max's eyes softened as she talked to Joshua. Alec was still hung up on the whole Sandeman thing.

"Uh Max, not to burst a bubble, but we still don't know where Sandeman is. Remember?"

"Actually we do. That's why Lydecker and White have teamed up. They're trying to tear us down because Sandeman is back," Max told him.

"And you know this how?" Alec asked.

"That's why Lydecker sent Raed and Ethan in. Dealio is, Sandeman is now a big target. We have to get to him before good Ol' Deck, or White and his breeding cult."

"And we're believing them why?" questioned Alec, pointing at Raed and Ethan with skepticism.

"Because I do." Max told him.

"Is this part of your woman's intuition?" he asked, his tone sarcastic. Max smacked his head, and turned to Mole, not even justifying his question with a  
response.

"Sandeman is at this address, rework the route. I want an update in two hours," Max said to Mole, handing him a piece of paper that obviously held the address.

"Two hours? You still have me setting up three other runs," Mole said.

"This takes priority. You got this. I have faith in you, Mole."

Alec watched Mole turn bashful in a very gruff way. He chewed the end of his cigar and grunted something that they took for ascent, and Max smiled her big smile. It amazed him sometimes, how easily Max charmed people. He remembered telling Logan once that it was because she was hot that they did so much for her, but sometimes, Alec knew it was a little more. Maxie was a good person, he knew. Sometimes that was enough to make people believe in her. To take her side.

"The units started today. Report," Max demanded, giving Alec her full attention. Everyone bustling around down below the top platform had already gone through training, and some stilled to listen.

"Good. The units are working out. A few accidental injuries landed some Xs in the infirmary, but nothing major. Each CO has their own style, and the routines are efficient. Shifts transitioned without trouble," Alec named off what he had seen and what he had been told by the unit leaders. He considered telling Max about what happened with the blond in Liz's group. Considered mentioning that there were still unease with some of the transgenics, but he let it go. They would address they issue when it became one.

"Good." Max said, voice stronger. He knew she had been worried about how they would function in TC, but no one had caused any ripples in their plan. They would be ready when Lydecker and White stopped playing nice.

"Do they talk?" Alec asked, pointing again to Ethan and Raed.

"Yes they talk, jackass. They are just choosing to stay silent. Unlike some people they know when to do that," Max defended.

Alec noticed the way Raed twitched a little when Max got irritated. Maybe it was his imagination, Alec thought.

"Alright Maxie, don't get your fatigues in a twist," Alec teased.

"Jerk," Max said, smacking him again. "Dismissed."

Alec rolled his eyes, and then turned to Mole.

"You want any more cigars? I got a stash." Alec asked.

"Talk to me later, I could use a few," said Mole, even as he was bent over his work.

"You got it." Alec replied. Then he took off for his apartment. He could use a shower before heading to the bar. He hoped to knock back a few and hustle a few rounds of pool before Liz showed up. And she would show up.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Fourteen

Liz stood outside the TC bar struggling with the decision to go in. She had promised herself she wouldn't come- she wasn't going to jump just because Alec said jump. But then she had rethought her decision. She could go to the bar, tell Alec to back off, and then go on with her life. Now that she stood in front of the bar door she couldn't make her feet move.

Narrowing her eyes in determination, Liz reached for the door and swiftly- before she could change her mind- stepped through. She spotted him immediately. He was hustling a few transgenics in a game of pool. Liz watched him bend over the pool table and let her eyes wander over his backside. The soldier was fit.

After sinking the last ball in a corner pocket, Alec stood tall and shook his head.

"Sorry boys, that's game."

The two X operatives that were playing him in a handicap game turned red and snapped their pool sticks in two before turning on Alec.

"You cheated," the first said. His bald head shone in the light hanging from the ceiling above the pool table.

"Fellas, we played a nice game, let's not ruin it with a show of poor sportsmanship," Alec replied. Liz noticed that his legs were tense and his eyes were  
scanning the surrounding bar for a weapon. No doubt he could take them on regardless, but it was second nature to have a weapon at hand.

"What do you take us for? A couple of idiots? We know when we've been hustled," said the second one- he was shorter and his build was more for endurance than offense.

Liz crept along the side of the wall, down behind the bar and passed a few bar hands who were watching the spectacle with interest. Inside the ring, outside the ring- a fight was a source of entertainment.

Grabbing a couple of dull knives from under the bar, Liz made her way out the other side of the bar and around the pool table. Alec spared her a glance, the two transgenics barely turned in her direction, and she made it behind them. She moved in a flash of speed and lowered the knives from her sleeves and up against the back of their skulls.

"Throw down the pool sticks- now," Liz warned.

"Back off bitch," came the bald one's reply.

"Say please and I might not shove this blade up through your skull and into what little brain cells you may have," she threatened and pressed the blade sharply under the skin of both men.

They both dropped their broken sticks. Liz pulled back the blades and held them at the ready. "What are your designations?"

"X5-877," said the short one.

"X5-876," said the bald one.

"Expect a visit from Max. Now get lost," Alec ordered, arms folded, usual smirk in place.

Once the two took off, Liz tossed the knives at a nearby dart board and hit the bull's-eye both times. The sound of the knives clanging together thrummed through the air, and one of the volunteer waitresses went over to take them down. She smirked at Liz and nodded.

"Look at you coming to the rescue," Alec spoke up for the first time to her, coming to lean against the pool table right in front of her.

"Look at you getting into trouble as usual," Liz sniped back. "You know, I haven't known you long, but I have a feeling this is a regular activity. Correct me if I'm wrong."

"See I like a woman who's observant," he said, charming smile in place.

"You are always so cocky."

"Come on play a game," Alec offered, picking up his old stick and tossing her a new one. Liz knew she was swimming dangerous waters, but she kicked aside the broken remains of the other two sticks and joined him.

"Hey sweetheart, can we get a pitcher of beer?" Alec requested as the next waitress walked by. She winked at him with a nod and went on her way.

"I don't drink," Liz informed him, taking the chance to break.

"Why is that? We don't begrudge anyone a beer."

Liz took stock of the table as it was, and then took her shot. She sank two stripes and scratched. She rolled her eyes when Alec wagged his eyebrows at her and took his turn.

"I don't handle my liquor well." That was an understatement. Liz used to be able to knock back drinks like a champ- that was her one solace when she hit her teen years and her heat kicked in. Then Max healed her and with her next drinking session she discovered that it only increased her sexual tension. Nothing made her hotter than a shot of Jack and a smooth pick up line. It was then she swore off drinking.

"You don't handle your liquor well? You're an X5, I'm sure you knock 'em back like a pro. What you don't like to loosen up? Come on, what's one beer?" Alec galled her, handing her a mug full of frothy liquid.

Liz knew she shouldn't, but looking down into the beer- one of her favorite drinks- she was tempted. She could have one. One wouldn't do anything. She would just have one.

Alec sank three balls, did a jump shot, and then winked at her before getting another. He was on a roll, and Liz knew that if he didn't scratch soon, she was done for. She hated losing, especially to someone like Alec. He sank another and then another and all he had left was one more of his balls and the eight ball. Liz crossed her fingers, and at the next shot he sank one of her balls and the white.

Indulging in a long pull, Liz drained half her beer, and then picked up her cue before taking stock of the table. She had a lot of clear shots, and she took them one at a time, but scratched two balls before she could finish.

"Why did you make me a CO? You know that no one here really wants me here. You knew I would have problems," questioned Liz. She took another pull and finished off her mug.

"Looked like you enjoyed that beer, have another. And to answer your question; how do you think anyone around here is going to learn to accept you? We all need to work together and that means they need to accept you. Being a CO you earn respect. Besides, you're a strong leader," Alec complimented and poured more beer from the pitcher into her mug.

"Anyone around here that has a problem with me can either say it to my face, or keep it to themselves. I don't need to be a CO." Liz argued back and against her better judgment, took another drink from her mug.

"You know you fight everything and everyone? What you been on the run so long you can't accept having a place where you don't have to be a hard-ass all the time?" Alec sank the eight ball and called it game. "Another game?"

"Rank them up. I'm not a hard-ass," Liz denied, then checked herself. He was right. Liz stopped knowing how to have fun a while back, even Maria had noticed. Her best friend. Liz felt her body warming up and her head was beginning to feel light-headed. She should stop. Right after she finished her second drink.

"De Nile is a river in Egypt."

"How clever. You going to quote clichés at me all night now?" Liz said, but her shoulders relaxed and she rolled her neck. It felt good to have a drink.

"Why don't we put a bet on this one?" Alec asked, pouring more beer into her mug- signaling the waitress for another pitcher after his third glass.

Polishing off her third and final drink, Liz nodded. She watched him bend over to break and bit her lip before shaking her head to knock some sense into herself. This was ridiculous she needed to stop thinking about him and his muscles and how well sculpted he was.

"What did you want to bet?" asked Liz. She tried to defer the offer of a refill from the waitress, but Alec took the pitcher from the volunteer's hands and poured it into Liz's mug himself, then refilled his own.

"I don't think I should have anymore."

"You've only had three," Alec blew that off. It took at least seven before he even felt a remote buzz.

Liz sighed and gave him a look before taking a gulp to get rid of the head on the beer. She decided that if she was going to drink it, she needed some lime.

"Excuse me, you have any limes?" Liz called to the male X5 behind the bar. He nodded and brought over a small dish of sliced limes. "Thanks."

"I thought you don't drink?" Alec asked with a smirk, and tossed her her cue. Liz caught it deftly and ignored him.

"So this bet?"

"You win, I leave you along," Alec told her.

"And if you win?" Liz questioned, drinking her beer with the newly sliced lime.

"You stop fighting this and let what ever is happening between us happen," Alec stated, staring right into her eyes. Liz felt his electric stare all the way down her body, and every nerve in her body jumped.

"That's ridiculous," Liz told him, but she was considering it.

"You afraid to lose?" he taunted.

"Afraid?" Liz scoffed, and downed the rest of her drink. Instead of waiting for him to pour her another drink, Liz took the pitcher herself and filled the  
mug to the top- making sure not to build a head.

"Yeah, afraid," Alec reiterated, sinking another ball.

"Okay fine," Liz agreed.

"Great." Alec smiled devilishly and then began to sink ball after ball. Apparently he had been holding back. Liz watched him closely and bit her lip as he showed off with a few fancy shots. She had the sinking feeling she had been had. When looked up at her as he went to sink the eight ball he gave her his most  
seductive smile, and Liz grabbed up one of the lime wedges and sucked it dry.

Unfortunately for Alec, he scratched. Intentional or not, he scratched and it was over. Liz had won. The look on Liz's face was incredulous- he had had such a good streak, it was weird that he had lost. Liz stared for a few moments when she heard Alec sigh and pick up his jacket, getting ready to leave. Realization hit her that he was about walk out of her life, for good. She should feel secure. She should feel relieved- it made distancing herself easier. But she felt none of those things.

"Alec wait," Liz yelled when he reached the door. She stood up from the stool she had been sitting on, and her balance was flimsy at best. Shaking her head to clear it, Liz fought her inebriation and made her way over to him.

"What?" Alec asked.

"I don't want you to leave me alone," Liz said. She didn't think she could say what she wanted just then, not yet. But she knew that she would be the stupidest person in the world to walk away from whatever was between them. In a broken world people had to take happiness where they could get it.

"You don't?" he asked.

"No, I don't." Leaning up on tiptoes, Liz took the dive and pressed her lips against his. It felt so good, so freeing, and the next moment, Liz was hoisting herself up around his waist- locking her legs around him tightly. Her hands gripped at his head, tugging at his hair, focusing all her attention on the feel of  
him.

His tongue came out to play, his hands coming around her- gripping her ass tightly- pulling her more tightly against him. Their mouths were meshed hard together, and the force was intense. Liz was sinking further into the sensual cloud of lust that had risen up inside her, and it was blanking out her reservations and denials.

Her fingers twisted in his hair, messing it, and then they broke apart for air. Alec held her close still as they breathed harshly, cleaving to one another. They didn't want to break apart, they didn't want to let go, but it registered in both their minds that Liz had had too much to drink.

"I need air," Liz whispered, hands still in his hair.

"Hold on," Alec said unnecessarily.

Alec walked backward out the bar entrance, and reached up to make sure Liz ducked her head while clinging to him. Cool night air hit them both, and Liz hissed at the sensation. The caress of the wind against her sweaty, heated skin caused goose bumps to raise up along her arms, and all of her muscles to clench.

"Better?" he questioned.

Liz was incapable of speech, but she nodded. Slowly, Alec released her and she slid gently down his front. When her feet touched ground, Liz leaned her head against his chest.

"You are a lightweight, huh?" Alec chuckled, but his arms rubbed her back in soothing circles.

"After I was healed when I was younger, my body stopped adapting to alcohol so well. I heal faster, but for some reason, I picked up a weakness with drinking. I don't understand it….because my liver should be working at optimum level," explained Liz, her speech was slurred slightly, and her head was still light. She wanted him, but she held her desire on a short leash.

"Let's get you to bed," Alec stated.

"Yours?" Liz purred. She knew she shouldn't bait him, but she couldn't help it- her body was still alive with his touch.

He chuckled his usual chuckle, but it was strained. Liz knew that he had a bulge in his pants that wanted to say yes, but he merely shook his head and escorted her back toward the infirmary. She was still staying their with Maria. Liz just couldn't bring herself to leave her friend.

They walked together for a few blocks, but Liz couldn't help but to zigzag slightly back and forth. Her balance wasn't the best, and finally Alec swept her up in his arms- despite her strong protests. They struggled against one another for a moment, but Liz gave in.

Turning down a dark alleyway, Alec decided on a shortcut. The sooner Liz got to bed, the better. The further they went into the alley, the more Liz felt endangered. Something was wrong. Something was completely wrong.

"Alec," Liz whispered, "stop."

"What is it?" he asked impatiently, halting his movement halfway down the alley. There were two streetlights, one at each end of the alley and a dim wall  
sconce against the brick building to their right.

"I sense something."

"You sense something?" came his skeptical reply.

Liz didn't respond, she jumped out of his arms- her mind still cloudy, but her body sobering up quickly. The thick fog that wanted to overtake her mind was hard to keep at bay, but Liz knew something wasn't right.

Crouching down on all fours, Liz waited. She scoped her surroundings, and heard Alec mumbling behind her before taking fighting stance. Liz spotted a metal pipe to her left in the shadows and knew her next move. The attack came fast. The two transgenics dropped from the roofs of both buildings in the shadows and rushed them. Alec was surprised- despite Liz's warning, but managed to catch a fist to his face.

Liz lunged between the legs of the second man and rolled to the side, snatching up the pipe and then did a back flip into a standing position. The X5 came at her with a knife, and Liz slammed herself against the building wall to avoid the blade. Bringing up the pipe, she slashed it downward and heard the resounding crack against her assailants wrist. The man hollered in pain, but quickly sent a roundhouse kick her way, and Liz didn't duck out in time. His foot caught her right side and she slammed back again into the building.

Alec shouted something to her, but she couldn't hear him. The X came at her again and she brought her arms up to shield her before dropping down to lunge between his legs again, but her move wasn't fast enough and the male caught her left leg and pulled her back- lifting her clean off the ground to hang upside down.

Blood rushed to her head, and the fog crept up on her. She wanted to sink into the darkness threatening to overwhelm her, but Liz fought it. Curling up, Liz steadied herself, and smashed her elbow back into his face. The X dropped her, and Liz landed with a thud on her back.

Coughing violently, Liz rolled onto her stomach and back onto her knees. She attempted to crawl away when the operative again grabbed for her ankle and pulled her back. Her shirt rode up and scraped against the gravelly pavement, tearing at her delicate flesh.

Liz turned to get a look at him and realized it was the bald man from earlier at the bar. Gritting her teeth, Liz kicked out at his face, and was satisfied with the sound of his nose crunching. He already had a black eye from her elbow. Jumping to her feet, Liz brought her foot down on his crotch and let it sit there while she stared him down.

"You didn't get enough earlier?" Liz bit out.

"Stupid bitch," Liz heard from behind her, and the next thing she knew she was being flung down across the alley and into the streetlight. Coughing up a little blood, Liz looked back to see that both the men had turned their attention to Alec. Gaining her balance, Liz raced down the pavement and threw herself onto the back of the short, brown haired man. He shouted out in stunned surprise, and Liz gripped him around the neck. Instinct took over, and Liz gave a hard twist, the sound of his neck snapping halting all movement.

Alec took that moment to give a well placed upper-cut to the bald man, knocking him out cold. He faced Liz and watched as the body dropped to the pavement. One dead, one injured.

"Liz, are you alright?" Alec asked, coming over to check her out.

Liz nodded numbly. She hated killing. She had done it many times, in many ways, but it had never sat well with her.

"I'm sorry you were thrown. That one twisted out of my hold and got my side with a knife. I was stunned for a moment."

"I'm fine," Liz responded. She assessed his side and nodded at it. "You should get that looked at."

"Let's get out of here," Alec told her, picking up the passed out form of the bald X5.

Liz nodded and followed. She had a hard time walking to the infirmary, the fog thickening up around her again, and her fatigue only adding to the problem. They made it into the infirmary and Alec told one of the medics what happened and to keep the passed out male subdued. Another took a look at Alec's side.

Walking over to her own cot, Liz glanced down at her torn up stomach, and touched a hand to her bloody lip. Glancing over to make sure Alec was okay, Liz laid down on her cot- Maria passed out beside her- and drifted off. She would deal with the aftermath tomorrow.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Fifteen

Alec wondered if things would really be different when Liz woke up. She had seemed sincere the night before, but hell that girl had a way of changing her mind like nobody's business. He'd deliberately scratched on the eight ball during the pool game. He didn't want to force her to be in a relationship with him. If Liz hadn't come after him, Alec would have left things as is. He would have taken the hint and backed off.

Staring down at her, seeing how exhausted and innocent she could be- he knew that that would have been a loss, for both of them. There was something in her kiss, something exciting and new that he hadn't felt for anyone. It disconcerted him, it put him at odds with his heart. How could she make such a difference? How could one girl mean so much?

Obviously she was important. Lydecker wanted her. White wanted her. Max needed her. Maria and the baby. And if he admitted it to himself, Alec knew that he wanted her too. For all her hard edges and frustrating actions- Liz was worth it. She didn't believe that, that too was obvious.

Liz rolled over and sighed, her forehead wrinkling in distress. Reaching forward, Alec caressed her face and slowly her forehead relaxed. Another sigh and Liz unclenched her death grip on the blanket he had put on her. A medic had noticed and taken care of her more basic cuts, and attended her worse injuries carefully not to wake her. Watching over her wasn't a part of his duties- in fact he was AWOL on a few- but he couldn't tear himself away.

"You really like her don't you?" came a whisper beside him.

Alec fought his surprise. He should have realized that Maria had woken up, but he'd been too absorbed in staring at Liz to notice.

"You should be asleep."

"So should you," Maria threw back. Turning to face her, Alec tried again to hide his surprise; Maria's stomach had grown larger since he had last seen her, and her hair was much longer too. "What you've never seen a pregnant woman before?"

"Are you kidding? Terminal City is crawling with pregnant transgenics," Alec retorted, snorting at how moody he knew they could all be.

"Yeah, but I'm not a transgenic," she said.

"What does that matter? You're a pregnant female, end of comparison."

Something shifted in Maria's eyes, Alec noticed. They softened a bit, and Maria looked on the verge of crying. Alec was completely unprepared to comfort a crying woman. He hated crying. He hated crying women. He never knew what to say. When Max cried it made him want to hit a wall. When Liz broke down it made him want to kill someone. Seeing Maria on the edge made him nervous and frustrated.

"Thanks," Maria intoned.

"For what?" Alec was completely lost.

"For not treating me differently. Everyone here looks at me like I'm an alien, except Liz. It's really hard to…I just miss the way things were before all this happened," Maria said with a gesture of her hand to encompass "all this".

"I have a lot of human friends. You're a person with feelings- just like us. I'm sorry it's so hard for you here," Alec felt weird apologizing for something that wasn't his fault, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

"Liz is my best friend, you know. She's been there for me when I've needed her. She saved us and she's been through so much. I know that she's  
changed a lot since White and everything, she's closed off- but no one compares to her. Loyal, smart, sweet, kind, happy, funny, analytical, fierce- I miss her. It's like she put up some firewall between everyone and her. It hurts to see you so…not Liz. Max really hurt her. So did the others when they left. I don't know if she told you what we went through, but trust me when I say she has a reason for being the way she is," Maria explained to him, and Alec wanted to understand.

"But you went through a lot of that too, and you're fine," Alec told her.

Maria laughed a bit for a second- more like a sarcastic chuckle. "Fine. I always thought I would be. I used to tell Liz that I was like Teflon, nothing  
sticks to me, but I was wrong. I might still be a loud-mouth with too much to say, but I'm not fine. I love this baby, but I don't know where its father is, or if he even truly love me. I don't know where my mom is. Liz is so different lately, my only friend here. I'm confined to a cot. But most of all, I don't even know where my life is going- or if I'll survive the next year. I'm not fine."

Alec stared at Maria from his seat on the edge of Liz's cot. Maybe he had underestimated Maria. She hid her fears well most of the time, being sarcastic and bitchy to hide her true feelings. Liz knew that it was hard for her, which was why she stayed with her- even if she was withdrawn.

"Do you really care about Liz? Because if you don't stay away. Liz has been closed down for a long time and I don't want her to go further into her shell- I might never get her back. She likes you, Alec. I see it everyday, so if you aren't serious about her, just don't bother. I might be pregnant, but I will kick your ass," she warned. It was almost cute that she threatened him.

"I do care about Liz. I don't fully understand everything I feel for her, so I can't promise that I won't mess up occasionally, but I'll try not to- for her."

Maria smiled at him and Alec noticed that any trace of tears was gone. She really was beautiful, unique, but beautiful. Her eyes turned to Liz, who tossed in her sleep, and Alec turned to look down at her too. When he looked up again, Maria was staring at him.

"Goodnight Alec," she whispered, laying back down.

"Goodnight Maria. And Maria?" Alec called.

"Yes?" she asked, turning back to face him.

"Liz isn't your only friend here," with that he walked out of the infirmary.

"That was nice of you," Max said from the shadows. Alec had sensed her there and didn't jump.

"I'm a nice guy," he replied. He heard here let out a disbelieving laugh before coming to join him as he patrolled the streets.

"So you and my little sister?" Max sounded unsure, but there was something else there when Alec glanced to the side, sparing her a look.

"What can I say Maxie, she wants me…and I want her," Alec said, giving her a sexy smirk.

"I thought you and Jondy-" Max began, but cut off when she realized where she was going.

"Jondy and I had an understanding. We flirt, we had a night, and then we moved on. She's a really nice girl, but that's not what Liz and I have going on. That's not what I want to be going on," Alec informed her, feeling the turn from light to serious.

"Alec, if you hurt her-"

"I'm not going to hurt her. I don't want to hurt her, okay Max. And I don't want to talk about this with you. I haven't been this way about anyone since Rachel," Alec confided, turning down another alley, and scanning the perimeter fence at the back end.

Something changed in Max's demeanor, a visible shift, and when Alec turned back to her, he saw she was watching him and thinking. It was unnerving, so Alec spun a one-eighty and kept pace.

"Are you ready for tomorrow? To watch over and secure Terminal City while I'm out on the mission?" Max inquired; she had sped up to match his strides and kept to his left.

"I don't like this Max. I want to be out there with you. This mission is more dangerous than all the others, and I know that I would be an asset to the operation. Finding Sandeman has been a high priority, and now that we're in the home stretch you want me to man down and watch security here?" Alec spoke with all the frustration he had been feeling about the mission since he had found out he wasn't on the roster.

"I need someone strong in charge, someone who knows what they're doing. Zack is coming with me, and I don't really trust anyone else. You've been through all of this with me, now I need you to do the most important assignment of all- protect everything we've been fighting for. It's whack that we're hauled up here, but you need to do this. The dealio with this mission is that it's more dangerous- yes- but we might not come back. I'm bringing everyone strong enough to make it through this, and if we don't; I need to know that Terminal City and everyone in it will be okay." Max crossed her arms defensively, and stopped to face Alec.

He knew that look. It had made him do a lot of things he hadn't wanted to do. Like return to Seattle after Manticore was burned to the ground. Like Eyes Only jobs. Like not killing Max for her barcode, and accepting his own death- only to have her save his ass over and over again in return. Now she was turning that look on him about something he felt so strongly about, especially because Liz was going and she might not come back, but again he couldn't avoid that look.

"I want it noted that I don't like this, and if anything goes wrong, I reserve the right to send out a contingency team to go after you," he said, angry with the world.

"Noted," Maxie replied, smiling her beatific smile. It was rare to see Max smile that way, but when she did it took the sting out of his upset; then it turned into her classic smirk, and she took off racing into the dark and vaulting over the fence.

Alec gave chase- as was often the situation. The patrolled the entirety of TC in three quick sweeps, and then ended up back at the main compound. Max waved off a goodbye, and Alec nodded in her direction before heading to his apartment. The second he was near his bed, Alec let himself fall back onto it, and short minutes later- with an image of Liz in his head- he was asleep.

The next morning, Alec woke up at exactly five in the morning. His internal clock never allowed him to wake up any later; all that Manticore training had left its permanent mark. Changing quickly, grabbing his coat, and heading for the door Alec made his way to command central.

By the time he arrived, Max and her chosen soldiers were assembled against the far wall in a perfect line facing the ring. Already TC was up and humming with the day's duties. He saw Liz at the head of the line, and watched as she stared straight ahead, not chatting with the other soldiers, merely focusing on Max. He made his way over to them, and realized that Max had yet to give orders, but was waiting for him. The soldiers snapped to attention upon his arrival, and he watched Liz's eyes slid from Max to him.

Max began going over the specifics of the mission, detailing each phase, and the duty of each soldier. The entire time, Alec couldn't stop staring into Liz's eyes as she stared into his. He knew she heard every word Max was saying, but she only had eyes for him. This time when he looked into her eyes she didn't pull away, she kept eye contact. It was a start.

"We'll be moving out at 0700. Dismissed," Max called out. Immediately the transgenics broke off, each going about pre-mission setup. Some jumped in the ring to get their adrenaline running, others moved off to grab the necessary equipment, and still some moved to talk to one another briefly. Max passed him on his way to Liz, and Alec gave her a nod of acknowledgement.

"Morning," Alec greeted, speaking first.

"Morning," she returned, still not moving.

"About last night-" Alec began, and Liz finally moved, stepping forward and pressing her lips to his. Shock coursed through his veins and he couldn't move. Some part of his brain engaged, and he kissed her back automatically. A moment later they pulled apart. "So I guess you remember."

"I'm not going to run from this. I've stopped running." Liz ran a hand up his arm to clutch his bicep, and then stare into those eyes again with more certainty.

"You know danger of today's mission," Alec stated. It wasn't a question. It wasn't a plea for her to stay. It was a fact.

"I do, but I'm a good soldier, and my sister needs me," with a sweeping look, Liz saw all the transgenics around her, "my family needs me."

Alec caught the gravity of that statement, and nodded.

"Maria told me that you two talked last night," Liz whispered, again making eye contact.

"Yeah. She's a little hormonal, but seems nice enough," Alec said with a shrug. He let Liz's light punch land on his upper arm.

"I wouldn't call her hormonal to her face. Alec?" she said.

"Yeah?" He returned, running a hand from her shoulder down to her hand, intertwining her fingers with his.

"If things go wrong today, promise that Maria will be okay," Liz asked of him, and he knew this was a big deal to her. He wanted to cut her off and say things would go fine, but he knew that was an unrealistic coping mechanism.

"I promise. Besides, I have the feeling that if Maria were anything less you'd kick my ass when you got back. Or at least try to," Alec teased.

"Try?" Liz asked with an arched eyebrow. She was teasing back, which was a real first with them.

"Yeah, come on short stuff- you couldn't take me," Alec challenged, then chucked her chin.

"Oh I could take you," Liz said, her voice turned seductive. She brought their intertwined hands to her mouth and ghosted her mouth over his knuckles, briefly letting her tongue come out to skim the surface. Alec hardened immediately, and he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

"Maybe you'll just show me," Alec returned and tugged Liz closer until they were pressed together. Neither realized the public display they were creating, but neither seemed to care. Liz pulled back first, and another first between them happened- Liz blushed faintly.

"Maybe when I get back from the mission," Liz offered, then walked off to talk to Joshua. Josh seemed to fully accept Liz better than most, and he noticed a budding friendship there.

Alec shook his head, and stiffly marched up to the computer mainframe. Security monitors surrounded the area, and a new monitor sat in the center. Heading for it, Alec took up a place next to Mole. The screen was blank and unlike the other monitors- no section label was present.

"What's this?" Alec asked.

"The new monitor. It's connected to Max's gear- we're going to have a clear view of the mission. The live feed is being hooked up as we speak. It's a beaut too. One of the X6s came by earlier today and started setting it up," Mole dished out the 411 and Alec nodded, checking out the small camera that would be attached to Max's gear.

"Any bets going down on whether Max will return?" Alec questioned.

Mole seemed begrudging at first to let him in, but he nodded a yes.

"Shut them down. All of them. If I even catch wind of one- its your head, and whoever placed or took the bet will be turned out from Terminal City. Clear?" Alec ordered.

"Clear," Mole said. His surprise was evident. Usually Alec was the first to take a piece of the action, but apparently today was not a good day.

"You not wanting to make a buck? Color me stunned," came a new voice.

Turning, Alec realized Ash had come up beside him. She was quiet- just like Max and Liz. He spared her a smile, and then studied the piece and the monitor again.

"Betting on the life our leader and her chosen unit is not acceptable," Alec announced, loudly enough to catch the attention of several guilty parties.

"Glad to see my life means something," Ash teased. She too had been chosen for Max's unit.

"Life always means something, even if it means taking it away," said Jondy, who had been standing to their far left. Jondy was not going. For some reason Max had not assigned her sister to this particular mission.

"Morning Jondy," Ash greeted. The two shared a small smile, and Alec wondered when they had become friends.

"What are your duties today?" Alec asked.

"To watch the monitor and take point on any perimeter breaches," Jondy cited. She seemed content with her assignment, and Alec was glad that Max had left her out of the mission's unit.

The conversation between them died, and the time remaining before the mission passed too soon. Alec watched the unit reform and Max in the lead at exactly 0700 hours. They were perfect. They saluted, marched, and responded in time to one another. Each was wearing the proper fatigues. Alec watched them begin marching out of the city and couldn't help himself- he followed. He kept a reasonable distance and watched as transgenics on the street moved out of the way- clearing the path- and staring along with him.

When they reached the perimeter, Alec analyzed the route they took and the one they would be taking to get back in. Each solider passed through the perimeter exit, and when it was Liz's turn, he wished she would turn to him and give him one last look, but she didn't. She was too much a soldier to break protocol. Max was the last to slip through, but before she did she turned to him and saluted him. He returned the gesture and then turned away- marching back from where he had come before he could see Max make it through.

Upon return, Alec cut the preamble and hurtled himself up and over the railing to the new monitor. Jondy had taken position and was doing a sound check with Max as they marched their path. Mole was checking their route with his maps and confirming positions with each soldier through their head pieces. Scanning the visual aid, Alec noticed that Max had taken point again after going through the perimeter, and was moving swiftly through tunnels, and back streets.

Moving away from the temptation of the monitor, Alec scanned the others- watching the guards making their rounds. He had ordered them to double up, and to change their usual patterns- this was the perfect opportunity for White, or Lydecker to move in on them. They needed to take certain measures.

"Medium Fella worried?" Joshua asked, joining him at the south perimeter monitors.

"Me worried? Nah," Alec lied. He didn't want to give Josh a reason to worry.

"Liz special to Medium Fella?"

Surprised, Alec glanced from the monitors to Joshua. He didn't give the big guy enough credit- he was very perceptive.

"Yeah, Liz is special. You worried Big Fella?" Alec asked, shrugging off the gawking stares of a few transgenics that had overheard him.

"Nah," Joshua mimicked him, and gave him a big goofy smile.

There was a disturbance back at the new monitor, and Alec ripped passed a few others and came to a halt behind Jondy.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing, the feed broke for a minute, but it's back- they ran into some Ordinaries, and Max hit the ground," Jondy detailed.

Alec stared at the monitor and watched their progress. Everything appeared to be normal- minus the slight break in feed. Snatching up a headset, Alec adjusted it to his ear and asked Max for a report on her surroundings. She noted that they were advancing quickly on their destination and that the small group of Ordinaries were easily dealt with. It was weird that the Ordinaries had been there at all- something was off.

Heading back to check the other monitors, Alec noted that he couldn't see the guard for camera three section eight of the west end.

"Grey," Alec shouted out, calling the tall, muscular transgenic to his side.

"What's up Alec?"

"I can't see the guard here," Alec pointed to the appropriate monitor.

"That's…not right. There should be three guards passing through there right now," Grey confirmed what Alec already knew.

"I want you and six Xs out there, now. Move," Alec ordered. He pointed to six more transgenics and they raced out in a single line. Alec watched their progress via the monitors, and then ran a check of the other cameras. Two more areas on the west end were deserted. More orders and more transgenics left. Alec was getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He caught Grey's men arriving on the scene of the first desertion. They were surveying the area and signaling to one another. Slowly, they spread out, each taking up a position. Alec watched Grey approach the perimeter, and moments later a blurred figure slashed across the screen and Grey went down. Shit.

"I want every available transgenic surrounding the perimeter- there's been a breach!" Alec shouted, straining his vocal cords to get the message out as loud and far as possible. Immediately the red flag went up and everyone was hustling. Training was taking over, and Alec vaulted over the rail and down below. He ordered Mole to put on a headset to keep feed with him as he raced out into the streets of TC.

One minute and fifty two seconds- that's how long it took him to get to the west end of Terminal City. He took stock of the fact White's men were everywhere. They were scaling the perimeter, and Grey was no where to be seen. One of them came at him fast- and had he not been assaulted from behind at the same time, he could have saved himself the brutal slash of a knife.

"Mole we need back up," Alec called loudly into his head piece, and threw his attacker off from behind. The one with the knife was a bald female with tribal markings all over her face. He hated killing women. But he would. He side stepped the next slash and used his weight to tackled her from the side- driving her into the perimeter, and then grabbing her wrist with the knife. He plunged the blade into her stomach before lifting her bodily over his head and throwing her clear over the wall.

More transgenics were pouring onto the scene, and bodies littered the ground- both transgenics and the enemy. He noticed Joshua hurling bodies over the wall, saw the fierce anger on his face, and noticed three coming to turn on him. Slipping through the fighting pairs, Alec shoved Josh out of the way in time to catch another slash- this one to his ribs. Focusing on the fight, he rid himself of two quickly, and Joshua took care of the third- snapping the male's spine in half before throwing him and his companions over the wall.

The fight raged for little over fifteen minutes before White's breeding cult pulled back on the retreat. Alec couldn't find White himself in the array and wouldn't put it passed the coward to avoid the fray.

Alec wiped sweat and blood from his brow, and called out for a body count. Joshua and a few other Nomalies had taken it upon themselves to purge the city of the bodies of the breeding cult. When they had counted and named each body, Alec was heavy with the loss- thirteen causalities, seven under the age of sixteen.

"I want the guard to stand as is- every available body on duty until further notice. Joshua, Trag, Grey- store the dead somewhere safe until we can bury them properly. Dismiss," Alec ordered, taking strides back into the heart of the city. He needed to return to Command.

Alec couldn't remember the last time he had killed so many people. He couldn't remember the last time they had lost so many people. He was angry with himself and if he could get White alone in that moment he knew he would be capable of killing him.

"Alec?" Mole called when he entered.

"Report," Alec answered.

"Perimeter secure," Mole told him. They had shared a few comments during the battle, but most of the time it was Alec shouting directions through the  
headset at Mole.

Approaching Jondy, Alec paused behind her watching the monitor. Max and the unit were on their way back, maybe two clicks north of the city. He wanted to ask Jondy about what had happened, but he need to focus on the security of TC. Things had gotten out of hand and he refused to allow that to happen again. Studying the new guard, he realized that not an inch of perimeter went uncovered. The younger X operatives were stationed farther away from the wall, the adults keeping stoic, but stern faces watching.

A call from Jondy informed him that Max and that others had returned. Alec watched their progress on the cameras- they seemed surprised by the excessive security measures- but Alec noticed that there was an addition to their number- Sandeman. It could only be him. Alec fought the urge to stare at the balding man, walking with a cane in the center of their formation.

Alec met them at the door, pulling it open and holding it for them to march through. Liz passed him last and she appeared shaken. Before he could question her, she filed into a line with the others. Sandeman wasn't tied up or restrained, making him seem like the willing captive.

"Alec," Max gestured him over, "report."

"We had a perimeter breach on the west end- we lost thirteen. Every available soldier was put on red alert. It was White and his breeding cult," Alec snarled at the last and his fists clenched and knuckles cracked in ferocity.

Max's face stayed composed, but he knew she was upset. Knowing better, he said nothing, and his eyes landed again on Sandeman. The man had salt and pepper hair, a thick mustache, a large nose, small eyes and lips- he was lean and tall, and in his day, Alec thought he might have been a soldier.

Their eyes met, and the man offered him a smile. Weird.

"Pull back half the guard and start second formation standard," Max ordered and then turned to her chosen unit. "Mission completed, dismissed."

Alec gave the orders to stand down half the guard and instated second formation standard, and then went back to where Liz had been only to find her gone. Max too was gone, and Sandeman was no where to be seen. Sighing in frustration, Alec headed for the infirmary. One guess where Liz was.

At the entrance, Zack had taken up position again. He still couldn't figure out what his deal was. Moving passed him, Alec entered the infirmary, skirted a few medics, and focused his gaze on Liz and Maria.

Maria had two medics at her side and an IV drip attached to her arm. Something was wrong and Liz was pissed.

"What's going on here?" Alec questioned. Liz turned a fiery look in his direction before promptly ignoring him and watching the medics handle Maria.

"She had false contractions and the stress of it led to some hemorrhaging. We've stopped the internal bleeding, the contraction stopped, and the baby is fine. We have her on a IV drip to replace the nutrients and blood she lost," responded a female X.

"When did this happen?" Alec demanded.

"An hour ago sir," came his answer.

"All information regarding Maria is to be brought to my immediate attention in the future," Alec said, setting the order in place. The medics saluted him and retreated.

"Liz?" questioned Alec. She gave him a warmer look before hugging a tired, achy Maria.

"Glad to see I'm a priority," Maria retorted with a light, joking tone of voice.

"Always," Alec heard Liz whisper, and he swore he heard a catch in her voice.

"Where did Max take Sandeman, Liz?" Alec asked.

"I don't know. I came here first," Liz acknowledged and he watched Maria's eyes water.

"I have to find them. Will I see you later?" he asked, hoping she would say yes.

"Yes." Good.

"Feel better Maria," he said in goodbye and took off. Time for some answers.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Sixteen

Maria was babbling on in an incessant stream of reassurance that she was fine and that the baby was fine. The one problem that Liz, sitting at the foot of her cot, had with Maria's blathering was that she was taking deep breaths every few minutes and biting her lips- two major signs of stress for her.

Attention divided between wondering where Alec went, and what to do about Maria's continuing health issues; Liz fidgeted slightly. Fighting the habit, Liz tried to remember where Max had said she intended to take Sandeman. The interrogation room that they had used to hold Raed and Ethan captive- that had to be it.

"Maria," Liz said, cutting off the other woman.

"What?"

"I have to go do something, but I want you to do exactly what the medics tell you okay? Do not get up. Do not argue. Just…take it easy, okay?" Liz soothed back a bit of hair that had crept over Maria's face, covering half of one eye. She seemed to fragile in that moment.

"Okay." Maria agreed without fighting.

Giving Maria a quick hug, Liz fled the infirmary. She swept through the darkening streets, moving passed groups of socializing transgenics, and passing a few on duty. Liz was becoming accustomed to life in Terminal City, and the sites around her no longer seemed bizarre. Liz remembered how weird she thought Roswell was when she finally settled there. It had taken her much longer to acclimate herself to that atmosphere.

Making her way from street to street and building to building, Liz finally arrived at the right one. She marched through the doors, face turning to stone, and stopped only when she reached her destination. Two nameless guards stood stoically in front of her- neither acknowledged her presence, and Liz ignored them as she walked right passed them and into the interrogation room.

Liz took a quick assessment of the room. Alec was in a far, shadowy corner; Sandeman was seated at the- now- only chair in the room; Max was expressionless while asking questions; and a single walking stick sat against a far wall. It was hard to tell how long the conversation had been going on, or what had/would be said, but Liz focused her attention on Sandeman.

"Why did you create us?" Max asked. Liz's head snapped to Max and then to Sandeman- everyone in the room held their breath for a moment, except for Sandeman; his face relaxed as if they were having a friendly chat.

"My work started when I was young- fresh out of college and looking for a promising future. I had an avid interest in genetics and artificial selection. The idea for Manticore started when I met a young man with a broken past- Colonel Lydecker. He was smart, very intuitive, and held similar interests. I had hoped to create an infallible being. Someone not beyond humanity, but a culmination of all that unrealized talent," Sandeman shifted in his chair as he spoke, his hand coming up to run through his hair.

"How did you meet Lydecker?" Asked Max.

"In a bar. He had just been honorably discharged by the army, and he was working off the stress of the day. I happened to talk a stool beside him at the bar."

"Why did you leave Manticore?" Max demanded, her face hardening slightly.

Sandeman seemed to shift uneasily in his seat before answering, "Manticore took a turn for the worse. It was not my dream to lock people- or innately human creatures- in cages and put them through harsh trials; they were meant to be ultimate beings of prosper and health, not lab rats. I knew what was coming for Manticore, and I had something very serious to do. I left after my plan was set in motion, knowing one day, I would be sitting here with you."

Liz glanced in Alec's direction and his eyes met hers. Did they believe that he was telling the truth? Trusting a complete stranger had proven to be a poor decision in the past, could they risk that now? In such a pivotal time of unrest?

Looking back to Sandeman, it hit Liz that this man had more answers for her than she thought. Max too appeared disconcerted by the graying man in the old, rickety interrogation chair.

"What plan did you set in motion?" Max continued to grill him after taking a steadying breath.

"My plan was for you and your sister," Sandeman informed her, smiling benignly.

Sister, Liz thought. Wondering what the hell he was talking about.

"What sister?" Liz questioned, opening her mouth for the first time, and drawing every eye in the room toward her.

Sandeman opened his mouth as if to say something, but Max cut him off , "I don't have a sister. You must have me confused with someone else."

Tense moments passed before Max resumed her line of questions. They learned that a toxic warfare began after the pulse. Other countries had been developing a strain of virus that would eventually breed and spread to the mass population and kill off every American citizen in the country. This only further incensed Sandeman to work on improving transgenics. He said that with each batch of super soldiers, he took one step closer to finding a cure. A fellow colleague who had attended college with him in America had procured a large enough same of the virus in his home country to help Sandeman in his research.

The way Sandeman told the story should touches of compassion, a gentleness not associated with Manticore. Liz wondered what it would have been like had Sandeman stuck around. Would they all be so fucked up? Would their childhoods still have been the stuff of nightmares.

"So this virus, it's still a threat?" Liz spoke up, thinking of Maria and her baby. Her mind touched on Sketchy and OC, she didn't want them all to die.

"Yes, very much so. In fact, it was recently seen in several Americans- it has already begun to mutate. I have managed to continue procuring samples to see if it is following the pattern suggested when I first came across it. It is, so there is hope," Sandeman explained, intertwining his fingers and looking directly at her. Liz wanted to fidget under his stare- as if he were her father- but she curbed that particular urge and gazed back defiantly.

"How?" Alec jumped in. He had been watching the exchanges, but it was the first time Liz had heard him speak.

"If I can find two very significant transgenics- I might be able to save our country."

A pin could have dropped and even Sandeman would have heard it. It sounded like a life or death mission- Liz was so tired of life and death missions. She had faced the FBI, aliens, parents, Manticore, Lydecker- she was ready to be done with everything.

Unable to handle how this conversation was going, Liz scoffed and stormed out of the room. Nothing was ever simple. That statement was as true to Liz as 'life isn't fair'. Max- boy king of aliens- had once asked her what was so great about normal. Maybe the fact that normal people didn't have to save the world repeatedly, face emotional and physical trauma on a daily basis, and discrimination on a worldwide scale.

"Liz wait!" shouted Alec from behind her. She had heard him advancing, but increased her speed. She wanted silence, darkness, and to be left the fuck alone.

"Not now, Alec," she called back behind her.

In a blur, Alec was in front of her, and Liz had to jerk to a stop to avoid crashing into him. Sometimes being a transgenic and living with other transgenics really sucked.

"Listen, I know that what Sandeman had to say was a lot to handle-" Alec began.

Liz held up a hand and thanked God when Alec stopped talking. Gathering her remaining patience, Liz responded to him.

"I just need to be alone. I can't-" Liz searched for the right words. "-I just can't take all of this in right now."

"If you really want to give this thing between us a chance, you have to open up to me," stated Alec, crossing his arms with an air of finality.

Ignoring his statement, Liz rerouted her course and took deep, calming breaths to stop herself from exploding when she realized Alec was following her. She expected no less. He was insistent and domineering and- someone she had come to want around. Even now, when she was thinking of how many ways she could strangle him for denying her privacy, her heart beat just a little faster.

They reached Alec's apartment- which surprised them both. Neither spoke when they entered, but Liz took a seat on his rumpled bed and laid back, closing her eyes. Hands crept up and around her waist, pulling her close to a muscular chest. Liz pressed an ear against Alec's chest and listened to his heartbeat. The steady, continuous rhythm lulled her- stress slipping away.

Eyes still closed, Liz began to do as he asked, open up.

"I'm scared. For Maria and Sketchy and OC. Good people still exist- I know it- and they're going to die. We're hoping for some miracle cure from a guy with abandonment issues and a walking stick. I miss my friends, I miss my family, and I don't know where I belong. I've been fighting my whole life for something normal. I used to be excited by Max, Isabel, and Michael's abilities, but now that I have them it only makes me feel even more detached. I cannot get a break," Liz whispered. "Have you ever felt so utterly alone, so cut off, that you feel like you're in a black whole and nothing is going to pull you out of it?"

"Yes," he replied, stunning her with his answer. His voice was raw with emotion too, and Liz pressed her body more tightly against him. "I used to be the perfect soldier. I got the job done, every assignment. I've always been in control and never faltered. Until Berrisford."

"What was the assignment?" Liz prodded.

"I had to infiltrate a political figures home and get close enough to set up a bomb for his termination. My disguise was as Rachel Berrisford's piano tutor. I spent several weeks teaching her, and gaining his trust. The day came that I planted the bomb and I was told to finish up. After I set up the explosives for her father's car, I realized that I loved Rachel. I wanted to protect her, and I knew more than anything what her father meant to her. I confessed, told her the truth, and she raced to the car just in time for it to explode.

"I thought she had died in the explosion, and I was carted off to Psy-ops. Six months saw that she was erased from my memory- until I started working at Jam Pony as a bike messenger and had to deliver a package to the Berrisford residence."

There was something in his voice that rang so sincere Liz felt his pain. She wanted to know more, but she didn't want to push. They were sharing a level of intimacy Liz never thought she'd feel comfortable sharing with anyone.

"What happened to her?" Liz asked, she couldn't resist. He either would or wouldn't tell her.

"I found out that she had been in a coma from the car explosion. Her father had her set up in her room. I got to see her one last time before she died. I don't know if she ever heard me tell her how sorry I was, or how much I loved her, or even goodbye," Alec's voice was husky and his heartbeat had skittered up and down.

Opening her eyes, Liz leaned up over Alec, balancing her weight on one elbow. She brushed her fingers against his face and used her index finger to trace the features of his face. His eyes were watery, his face slightly contorted in sorrow. She had never seen him so vulnerable.

"I was in a coma once," Liz confided. She had never told anyone this before, not even the royal four, or Alex, or Maria. "I got into a fight with a medic when I tried to steal hospital supplies for a broken leg. The medic stabbed me with a pure shot of adrenaline, right in the heart and it stopped. I was rushed to the emergency room and they shocked me back to life, but my brain had been missing too much oxygen for too long. I stayed in a coma for a week. I heard everything going on around me. It was like I was dreaming, but I could only hear what was going on. Rachel heard you."

Alec's face changed to a look of pure relief and the water collecting behind his right eyelid burst forth in a single tear. Liz leaned down and kissed him softly. It was a brush of lips at first, and then it became rough, demanding, passionate. His arms pulled her down against his chest and fused their mouths together in a devouring kiss. She caressed her tongue against his, swirling the tip around his. She was hot and achy, her body lighting up and becoming needy.

Breathless, they pulled apart slightly. There was question in his eyes, those gorgeous eyes, and Liz knew that it was all or nothing and time to make a decision. She had to stop running and face what he was offering her. The only thing he could give her- himself.

"I still want to take it slow, but…I want to share myself with you." It was saying a lot. It was saying she wasn't closed down.

"I don't want you to regret this," his told her, his words rough.

Liz overrode his words with her actions, taking him in another beseeching kiss. A groan left him, and Liz knew that his resolve disappeared. A hand came up to massage one of her breasts, and Liz arched against him. She felt herself spiraling out of control and into something intangible. That hand slid from her breast and down her body only to tease the bottom of her shirt before disappearing up the material and into her bra. The kiss became more intense and Liz jerked a bit when Alec tweaked a nipple.

It was exhilarating and intoxicating, overwhelming her judgment and overriding inhibition. In his arms she felt perfect, gorgeous; smart; sexy- no one had ever made her feel so right. Max Evans, alien king, had put her on a pedestal and treated her like a queen, but never had his touch incensed her to surpass thought and logic and to move forward into passion and mutual selfishness.

Running a hand down his hard body, Liz massaged him through his standard fatigues, and could feel his growing hardness. The response in her body was a rush of liquid and a pooling of desire, an inconsistent up and down of arousal. His other hand tangled in her hair and the jerk of his hand brought her head back and his lips to her neck. Fiery and expanding, his kisses and bites against the creamy column of her neck sent shivers and tingles down her spine.

"God, you're so wet," he murmured huskily as his hand went from her breast to massaging her as she massaged him. The sound of his voice and his obvious excitement caused dizzying sensations in her lower abdomen.

Getting braver, Liz undid his pants- with his help- and began to work her hand up and down the magnificent length of him. The fact that his body was responding to her in such a way made her feel emboldened and powerful, beautiful and tempting. A pearl of pre-cum swelled at the head and Liz disentangled herself from his hold while making her way down his body.

Briefly their eyes connected and Liz kissed the mushroom head of his cock, allowing her tongue to slip out and lick at the moisture. Alec's pupils dilated and his hands clenched. Liz teased the tip a bit more and then slid her tongue from tip to base before taking the entire length of his shaft into her warm, wet mouth. A groan fell from his lips and Alec's eyes slid shut- his hands coming down to twine in her hair in an almost painful grip. She had never done this before, but the sounds he was making urged her on, and Liz felt a natural rhythm taking over. Her head bobbed slightly as she sucked as much of him into her mouth as possible, her hands resting on his thighs. Daringly, she forced herself to accept as much of him into the hot cavern of her mouth and felt him quiver in response.

Her right hand slid over to the remainder of his length and pumped in time with the movements of her head. The salty flavor of his pre-cum was disconcerting, but not entirely unpleasant. She sped up as she felt his grip on her tighten, but at the last moment before she knew he would come, Alec pulled her free. His breathing was labored and his eyes were feral and they both felt a primitive part of themselves stirring.

"Liz, I don't want this to be all about me. Just lay back," Alec insisted, placing her beside him on his bed, and waiting for her to comply.

Liz was slow in her movements. She hadn't expected him to stop her; she had reached the point that she didn't know if she could stop herself. Once she lay on her back, Alec moved up her body and kissed her voraciously, stimulating the nerves in her lips, and thrilling her taste buds with his unique flavor. He undid her pants, his own still absent, and moved a line of kissed down her jaw, neck, and unhurriedly moved the material of her shirt and bra away to expose a plump, rosy, breast to his mouth. He flicked the lip of her nipple at first, and Liz arched into his touch. She was sensitive to his every move, and when he took her into his mouth, her whole body jerked in need.

His left hand slid to her exposed core, rubbing lightly against her lips, then delving deeply into her hot, wet sheath. Goosebumps rose up over her skin and the air around them seemed to heat up. Her breath turned to heavy pants of desire and tension as his right hand came up to cup her other- covered- breast, and a gasp rent the air.

One hand came up to hold Alec's head to her breast, the other clenching his back. His tongue did sinful, arousing patterns, sending shocks of enlivened energy searing her intimately. Liz removed her hand from his head and with both shaking hands, pulled him up her body and dragged his mouth to hers- locking them in a kiss so unyielding they were lost to the sensation.

Liz was lost in the touch and feel of him. Nothing had been so right in her entire life. An instinctive voice controlled her hands, causing them to soothe down his body and cup his ass tightly, pulling him against her. Alec paused her, his jaw tightening as he fought the urge to enter her. This wasn't the time for that, Liz realized, but a bigger part of her wanted them to be one so badly she strained against Alec's hold. His face sneered and his hands bit into her hips as he held her firmly.

With an excruciatingly slow pace, Alec thrust against her core- not entering her- but brushing against her. He guided the tip with a hand to her clit, and began a rhythmic thrust upward and against the sensitive nub. Liz's body was overcome with zings of pleasure and incitement causing her insides to vibrate and her mouth to open in a breathless exclamation of want. A hand slid from her hips up her torso and encompasses one of her lush breasts- both of which were arched up into the air, begging for attention.

"So wet," Alec whispered against her, and the tip of his cock slid down to her center and the bulbous head pushed lightly at her entrance, teasing it, and barely entering it.

"Alec, please," Liz implored, running her nails down to score his back. He arched against her then, hissing and groaning with frustration.

"No, this time is for you," he told her again. His thrusts increased and more of her spicy honey coated his already glistening member.

Something was building inside of her. Powerful and electric. Liz's muscles tensed, her back arched painfully, her toes curled, and her breathing became even more erratic. Alec sped up his pace, knowing that she was close, and Liz bit his shoulder until she drew a small amount of blood.

Growling, Alec captured her mouth, pulled her hair, and rode her to oblivion. Liz's thoughts vanished, her body exploded in shattering bits of relief, pleasure, and liveliness- every cell that made up her body alive and humming at once, and a never-ending stream of satisfaction liquefied her senses.

They lay together for long moments after. Alec was still hard against her soaking core, but he had no words for her. His arms came to hold tightly around her waist. Liz couldn't form thoughts, words, or images. She had never had an orgasm before, but even in her greatest imaginings she hadn't quite gotten it right.

Twirling her fingertips against the slight amount of his chest hair, her mind started to return. She felt bad for his current situation and attempted to move and return the gesture in kind, but his arms held fast, leaving her virtually incapacitated.

"You are so beautiful," he said, his eyes coming down to meet hers as he changed them into a more comfortable side by side position.

Liz's breath caught, but her eyes softened. She allowed that part of herself that she had thought long gone to resurface- Liz Parker. He had made her feel things she had never felt and want things she had never let herself want. With Alec, Liz saw a future. He was her cocaine, her rush- a dangerous drug that she could let herself all too easily get wrapped up in.

"I wanted this to be good for you too," confessed Liz, kissing his chest just above his heart.

He turned her in his arms, pressing them more closely together, "This was special for me."

"I'm just not used to this type of relationship," Liz confided. She was telling the truth in that moment. She hadn't experienced this sort of closeness with Max- even though he had made vein attempts to woo her.

"Let's try and leave both of our pasts behind us, okay?" Alec asked.

"Okay." Liz agreed, nodding a little and then releasing a ridiculously long yawn. They shared a laugh and then Liz sensed things getting fuzzy. She was drifting off to sleep. She heard Alec's breathing evening out beside her and gave in to the inevitable.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Seventeen

Alec rolled over and bumped into someone beside him. Waking up slowly, eyes still blurry with sleep; he saw Liz's outline and the way her arms were curled around herself- protectively. It was odd seeing her so vulnerable, every second she was awake she was on guard, or ready to fight. Seeing her face smooth without worry caused something inside of him to shift. He curled his body around hers and drifted off to sleep again.

By the time Alec reopened his eyes, fully awake, he found himself alone in his bed. He sat up straight like a bullet and focused all of his senses on his environment. He heard faint footsteps coming down his hallway and heard the opening of his apartment door. Liz's scent hit his nose and he relax slightly, his muscles unclenching, and his resumed breathing.

"Oh, you're up." Liz stood in the center of his apartment with a bag of food hanging from her fingertips.

"Where'd you go?" Alec asked, reaching over the side of his mattress to grab a plain white tee. Liz had on a new set of fatigues and her hair was shiny and straight- freshly washed.

Liz blurred to the bed as Alec was about to get up, and he felt the weight of her hands as she pushed him back onto the bed.

"I went out to get us breakfast," Liz stated, joining him on the bed and pulling out two old, used plastic containers. She handed him one and then leaned back against the wall and opened her own.

Alec flipped the lid open on his container and saw the decent spread laid out before him. There were pancakes, two small pieces of sausage- a rare find in Terminal City, three pieces of melon- a rare find in all of Seattle, two slightly burnt pieces of toast, and a small pile of slightly runny, scrambled eggs. Looking over at Liz, he noticed that she had less than half of what was in his container.

"I have plenty here if you want some," Alec told her. He was still trying to figure out how she had managed to sneak away without him knowing.

"It's okay. I don't have a big appetite. I don't usually eat much, just like the sleep thing. I can go a longtime on a little fuel," Liz informed him with a small, side-smile. She did that around him a lot, Alec noticed- she smiled a small, side-smile.

"Where did you find all of this anyway? We don't usually have that much of a spread," asked Alec, taking a lush, juicy bite of melon. It was honeydew- his favorite.

"I got take out," Liz mumbled, shoving in another fork full of pancakes in her mouth to have an excuse not to respond further.

Alec did a double take at that answer; how did she get take out? What did she mean take out? "What do you mean?"

Liz's eyes shifted from his face to her plate of food and she took an even heartier bite from her eggs.

"OC might have been on her way out of the city when I caught her near the gate and asked if she could grab some food for us. I have some cash…and I thought it'd nice to have breakfast in bed."

"You what?" Alec couldn't believe what he was hearing. OC was not supposed to leave Terminal City, unless she was accompanied by someone to protect her, and that was only in dire circumstances.

"Don't freak out. She had to go out anyway. Something about the monthly drop for Max. She had people with her. It was only a slight detour in her plans. She got back fine. I would not have asked her if I thought she would get hurt," Liz explained. She was biting her lip and then seemed to realize what she was doing before stopping with a glare.

"You shouldn't have done that. I won't say anything to Max, but it's important that we do not stay out of TC too long. And where did you get money?" The last question was the one that had confused him the most.

Liz looked hard at her food for a few minutes and then reached back into her fatigues and pulled out a water bottle that had been dipped in black paint. He had seen her carrying it on her from time to time- and more often than not he had seen it with Maria in the infirmary. He hadn't really thought twice about it.

"I used to work as a waitress in my parents restaurant. I pulled in a lot of money and a lot of tips. I saved all of it; I guess I thought someday I'd be going college. I also had some inheritance from my grandmother. Anyway, I've held on to it- it's how Maria and I survived when I couldn't steal us food. I have it in cash because it's not traceable that way." As Liz told him this, she took the cap off the tall, large-mouthed, black bottle and upended it onto Alec's mattress. Alec stared at what had to be at least fifty-thousand dollars in five-hundred and thousand dollar bills.

He watched as Liz pulled four twenties and some change out of her pocket and throw that down too. When he looked up at her confused she shrugged, "I had to pay for breakfast right? I let OC keep a hundred in exchange for her trouble."

"Why didn't you mention any of this?" Alec asked.

"If you had thousands of dollars in cash on your person, would you tell people you don't know well-enough to trust?" Liz countered.

Scratching his head, Alec gave her a smirk, "Guess I see what you mean. But why are you telling me?"

Liz gazed at him for a few long moments, nibbling on her own melon before answering. "Because I  
trust you."

Well that was big, Alec thought. Alec was sneaky, underhanded, and sometimes a jerk- he could admit that. He had messed things up for Maxie on more than one occasion, including the time he broke in on her job at the museum. Somehow hearing from Liz that she trusted him, he wanted to make sure she could. After last night, Alec realized there wasn't anything he would keep from her- nothing he didn't want her to know.

Liz started stuffing the money back in her bottle and when she was down to a few hundred she looked up at Alec, "I know that you don't have a lot of money here, and times are tough. If you ever need-" Liz gestured to the last few bills as she was dropping them in, "just ask."

"Liz, I appreciate the offer, but you hold on to that. If I need anything, I can figure it out," Alec assured her, his heart swelling at her generosity. He almost couldn't believe those words had come out of his mouth- never in his life had he turned down money, or sex- which he had last night. Something was seriously wrong with him.

Going back to eating his meal, which was one of the best he'd had in months, he gave her a playful wink and watched as she gave him that small, side-smile again. They finished the rest of their meal while Alec asked her questions about her job in her parents restaurant, and what that was like growing up, and by the time they were done eating Liz was laughing while telling him about her tricks with fake alien photos and Crashdown customers.

"You sound like you were a totally different person," Alec said. He meant that too, she sounded like she was happy and normal- not the Manticore soldier she was raised to be as a child.

"It's funny, for awhile, I let myself think that too. I know that my unit's escape caused problems for you and others left behind- but I'm really glad that I left, and that I got to have some watered down version of a normal life; for a while anyway," Liz sounded like she was in another world, thinking about her other life in Roswell.

"I think I would have liked to have met Liz Parker- teenage super-soldier in hiding," Alec said, laughing a little. Liz threw him a playful glare, but the way her eyes lit up told him that she was amused with him, and that she was letting up on her hard-ass shell.

When they stood and headed out for morning drills, Alec realized that the sun was still down- though sunrise wasn't too far off- and that the reason he hadn't heard Liz leave was because he had only been asleep for four hours when she slipped out. He still didn't like the idea that he had been lax enough to not hear her coming or going, but he just decided he would have to be more alert.

As they were about to pass the infirmary, Liz excused herself for a moment and blurred away. She was back beside him fifteen seconds later and they headed back down to training.

Max was already on the field when they arrive and the units were still falling in. The sun started to rise in the background, but no one paid that any attention. Alec broke off from them both and watched as Liz- face now grim- marched toward her troops. Max made an announcement about an upcoming mission, and that whichever unit performed the best until the night before would be going. Alec was pissed that he had not heard about it sooner, but figured that Max must not have worked out all the details yet.

"Alright, roll call. Name and designation- go," Alec shouted out over the morning hum. He heard his order repeated throughout the field from other COs go up around him, and multitasked by listening as each unit listed off.

Four hours passed and the shifts changed up. Alec was sweating with the exertion of working out on the field in the mid-morning sun. He had stuck around more to fight, taking on different transgenics from different units as the time passed. He passed Liz more than a few times and each time he heard her giving decisive instruction. She made a good CO whether she wanted to believe that or not. Alec could already see others looking upon her with respect. Respect that she deserved.

As Alec stood over a fallen opponent, he heard someone call his name from behind him. Turning he saw Shelia- a Nomalie that Mole hung around with. She had long, thick dark-blue hair and looked perfectly human, except for her claws and the feathers that stretched along her arms. Her eyes were an ebony color that made her look beautiful and fierce at the same time. He knew the hair was a dye job, but the feathers and claws were a testament to her avian mix.

"Hey Shelia," Alec greeted, slamming his foot down on top of the X5's to stop the transgenic on the ground from rising.

"Mole needs to see you," she said, her voice bored, her eyes expressionless. That was the only thing about her he couldn't stand- the woman never showed emotion. It was disconcerting. She was intelligent and a sight to see when fighting, but she wanted for personality.

"And he sent you? Aw, I feel special," Alec joked. He eased up his foot on the transgenic and offered the male a hand. The X5 had mouthed off to more than one CO and had a problem with authority, Alec had found great pleasure in kicking his ass, "Ten laps around the perimeter and then four weeks latrine duty on top of your usual assignments. We clear?"

The considerably smaller, scruffy X male nodded his head before rushing off to do as told. People just did not mouth-off to Alec, and if they did, they ended up a walking bruise.

Alec turned back to tell Shelia he would be along in a moment, but she was already gone. He hated when she did that. Appear and disappear like an aberration. Sighing, Alec resigned himself to desk work. He tossed out a few orders to the COs and made one more sweep passed Liz's unit- which were doing standard formations- and gave her a flirty wink when she imperceptibly nodded in return.

Making his way to Mole and Command Central, Alec noticed that everyone was where they were supposed to be- no one was in the streets socializing. It took less time than he thought it would to reach Command, and noticed that Mole was waiting near the doors for him.

"Hey Mole, what's up?" Alec liked Mole, he always got right to the point.

"I'm planning a mission for Max and the unit that she decides to take with her, and she told me that you were needed specifically to approve my plans," Mole replied curtly.

Alec felt like he could have preened right then, nothing like someone deferring to his judgment to stroke the ego. It was always nice to feel wanted, Alec thought, his face outwardly smirking.

"What Maxie wants, Maxie gets," Alec joked. "Show me the plans."

Mole led Alec to a table on the upper-platform and pulled out several cylindrical containers, opening each and unfurling large blue-prints and blue-print style maps of sector checkpoints. A number of side notes and short-handed comments caught Alec's attention. He followed the maps and notes and read through the list of definite transgenics that would be going on the mission- his name among them. The list was long already, and the idea that Max would be rallying an entire unit to add to it had him looking over the mission statement. Holy shit- they were going to be taking down another government based facility and swiping something called "Product X".

"Mole, where is Max now?" Alec was lost in thought, but he heard the Nomalie say "the interrogation room" before taking off in that direction.

If Max was planning another take down that means that whatever she was going after- "Product X"- would be dangerous. He blurred through the streets and entered the building, rapidly approaching the interrogation room. When the guards came into site he moved passed them without stopping to greet them. Just as he entered the door, Max was about to leave.

"Alec, what are you doing here?" Max asked, glancing over her shoulder to where Sandeman was lying on a cot- apparently his suite had been updated.

"We need to talk," stated Alec, his eyes also straying to the withered, old man.

Grabbing his upper-bicep angrily, Max stomped out of the room, taking Alec with her. She didn't stop moving until they were a good hundred meters from the outside doors of the building.

Spinning around, Max pinned him with a glare. "What?"

"What is 'Product X' and why are we destroying an entire setup to get it?" Alec wasn't pulling any punches- now wasn't the time for Max to spare words.

Glaring at him some more, Max gave him a customary eye-roll, "It's important and the new 'setup' is Lydecker's newest attempt at another Manticore. He and White are doing just what we are doing- training and preparing. We need to hit them soon."

"Wait, another Manticore? How do you know?" Alec couldn't imagine the kind of resources Lydecker would have to have to pull off such a thing, but given the fact he and White were now in league together, anything was possible.

"Sandeman has been a good source of information. I can't disclose anything else until we get closer to the mission- it's too dangerous and too important. Just do me a favor and help Mole with the plans. It has to be flawless- I don't want to lose anyone and I want to succeed," Max ordered, wringing her hands in an uncharacteristic show of nerves.

"Do we really trust Sandeman enough to put our lives on the line?"

Max remained quite for a pause then nodded. He didn't like the look in her eyes, like she wasn't sure, but she wanted to believe. He had seen it a lot in people far more foolish and hopeful than Max- he had always considered her a realist. He wasn't going to cloud her judgment though, Max was right about this being too important, "You got it. I'll go back to Command and finish up. Everything looks in order, but until you pick a unit we won't be able to finalize."

"I know who I'm going to pick. I just want everyone working their best until then," Max told him. She looked more at ease now that the conversation had shifted slightly.

"Who?" Alec inquired.

"Liz and her unit. I want her there and I know that her unit will be ready by then. I trust her," Max whispered the last. She didn't trust many people and it had come back to bite her in the ass on more than one occasion- and that was only since Alec had met her he saw this.

"I do too," Alec confided. Max raised her eyebrows at that and Alec shrugged with his usual nonchalance.

"You scamming on Liz?" Max asked, her eyes flaring, ready for a fight.

"What business is it of yours?" Alec asked defensively, he didn't want to get into this with Max, not again.

"Don't fuck with me, Alec."

"Damn it Maxie, I like her," Alec shouted. He surprised them both by his outright declaration. He didn't take it back though, he did like Liz. He liked her the way he liked Rachel, and he wasn't going to fuck that up this time. Max was staring at him guardedly, but didn't say anything for a couple minutes. They  
were staring off.

"You better," Max finally replied, her stance lessening into a friendly one.

"You want to hit the bar later? I'll take you in pool," Alec offered, smirking his smirk.

"Maybe. I got something I got to do first. OC made her monthly and I'm getting the shakes. I need to give out some Tryptophan. Good news though, one of the medics has been working on our genetic sequencing and might have found our predisposed trait for seizures." Max smiled triumphantly at him.

"Good to hear. I'll catch you later, Maxie," Alec said as he departed. He headed back to Mole and Command and after an hour there they worked out the finalized plans. Alec wanted to know what "Product X" was, but decided it was better not to mention it, or question it- they didn't need anyone hearing too much too soon.

"Alec?" Someone called out to Alec from behind as he was exiting Command. Turning, he noticed Ash standing around the outer-edge of the ring where a three-way fight was going down.

Ash was a pretty little thing and Alec made his way over to her side while watching the ring. "I thought you were on CO duty this morning?"

"Max asked me to cover the ring today- something about a special assignment. Zack is covering my unit," Ash informed him, smiling flirtatiously.

"I noticed. I was actually going to ask about that earlier, but I got side-tracked with an assignment of my own. How are they?" Alec asked, waving his hand to some the young transgenics- maybe thirteen or fourteen years in age- zipping around the inside of the ring.

"Good. Excellent progress, good skill sets- they'll make excellent soldiers," Ash told him, watching as the smaller one went down from a kick to the side before quickly recovering seconds later.

"Hopefully they won't have to be," Alec rejoined, leaning a hip against a nearby fold-out table.

Ash nodded her agreement and then moved to join him leaning against the table, her body brushing his from the side. "So I was thinking that we might get drinks later. We haven't hung out in a while and it might make for a fun distraction."

Alec sighed mentally and raised his left hand to rub at his neck- a quirk he had when in an awkward position. Ash was good-looking, sure, but he had something going with Liz now and he didn't want to fuck that up less than 24-hours in.

"Actually, I'm going have drinks with Liz later," Alec lied smoothly. He took in the way Ash's mouth tightened around the edges, but she didn't show any other sign of annoyance.

"Oh, that's nice. Maybe another night," she suggested, her lips going from tight to sexily tipped in a salacious smile.

"Yeah, maybe. I'll let you know," Alec told her- taking the decision out of her hands. It was a clean brush off, and from the way Ash's shoulders tensed, she knew it too.

"Yeah, you do that. I've got to get back to work. Maybe I'll see you later," Ash slid soundlessly from his side, and head back ring-side.

Alec remembered that he was headed back to check up on the units and took off out the exit and down the relatively empty streets- devoid save for intermittent guard postings- and made it to the field in no time at all. He did his rounds, purposely saving Liz's unit for last- and then lingered watching as they had moved on to weaponry. Nothing like watching a soldier and their weapon of choice- it could be a thing of beauty. Alec knew that the weapon itself became an extension of its' holder.

Liz took them through formations, offensive attack, defensive retaliation, and the art of speed in an attack. These were not new techniques, nor were they flashy, or overtly brutally- but when employed in battle- with true expertise- they were formidable.

The rest of the day ran long, the heat from the unseasonably, sunny weather had everyone sweating. By the time the COs were finished out for the day each of them were covered in sweat, dirt, and laden with the exhaustion from their instruction.

Alec peeled his own sweaty, grimy shirt free from his body as he dismissed everyone from their assignments. He heard the stomp of boots like the stampeding of bull and pulled off to the side to wait for Liz. When he spotted her, he noted that she was sweaty and unkempt- her hair sticking out in several places and her face flushed red with exertion. She looked sexy as hell, in Alec's opinion, and he joined her immediately.

"Hi," Alec said, smiling down at her- even through his exhaustion he was flirtatious.

"Hey," Liz replied, returning his smile as she took a pull from a canteen she'd been using. "I think I'm going to take a shower and then visit Maria."

"Can I come?" Alec asked.

"Take a shower or visit Maria?" Liz teased. Alec felt his fatigues get tighter at the prospect of a shower with her.

"Both," Alec said with challenge. Then Liz did something that Alec would remember forever, she threw back her head and laughed. It wasn't just a short, quick laugh, but a full-on, body-shaking, can't-control-yourself laugh.

When Liz finally stopped laughing, she noticed that Alec was staring at her and she blushed, "Well since I actually want to see Maria tonight, how about we take separate showers and I meet you outside the infirmary once I'm cleaned up?"

"Deal," Alec said, but before she could move off the field and run off for her shower, he took her around the waist and pulled her up to press his lips to hers in a heated kiss. He set her back on her feet a brief moment later and smiled at her surprised- not smirked, smiled. "You have a sexy laugh."

Liz blushed harder and rolled her eyes at him- reminding him a lot of Max- and then watched as she walked off the field. Alec started for his apartment and realized he'd better make his shower a cold one.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

Chapter Eighteen

Max was holding the attention of all the COs, lined up against the ring in Command Central. After Liz had taken her shower and met up with Alec in the infirmary, and they'd gone to the bar for a drink or two after visiting with Maria when they had gotten the message that all COs were to report to Command immediately.

In addition to Max and Alec, the nomalie named Mole, the big one named Joshua, and she recognized Jondy, Krit, Syl, and Zack standing in the background near the computer mainframe. They all stood up on the higher platform overlooking the assemblage while conferring with one another. A few of the COs around her were talking amongst themselves about who might get picked for the upcoming mission- none of them looked her way and she was perfectly fine with that.

"Okay listen up. We're leaving on mission tomorrow morning at 0400 hours. Based on the assessment of your units, I have decided that the CO Liz's unit will join our mission. Those of you not chosen will not pick up training as schedule tomorrow. There will be a change in the arranged schedule, each of you and your units will be deployed to several different security tasks in the absence of such a large portion of X operatives. Your individual mission statements will be handed out to you as you exit Command Central. You are to debrief your unit tomorrow morning on the field. I do not want anyone off task- if I find out that you, the punishment will be sever. If I find out that something goes wrong tomorrow during our mission, the transgenic responsible will be punished- and if it is drastic enough, you may be removed from Terminal City.

"This is not a joke. People's lives are at stake; your lives are at stake. Each of you is to eat a good meal, get as much sleep as possible, and be prepped and ready to go by 0300 hours. Have your favored weapons ready and in top condition. Dismissed," Max called out over the crowd. Her words were stunning, halting, and harsh.

Moreover, Liz couldn't believe what she had just heard- she was supposed to lead her unit into the upcoming mission? Was Max serious? She had barely just managed to get her unit to begin respecting her authority, she wanted to test that in a significantly, important mission? Alec knew, Liz thought. It wasn't just suspicion egging her thoughts on, she remembered the look on his face- he had been unsurprised when Max summoned them, and from the look he gave her during Max's announcement- proud and respectful- he had obviously expected this bombshell, and Liz wished she could say the same.

Some of the COs were glaring at her on their way out the door, receiving manila folders with their names and designations printed across the top tab. Liz gave as good as she got, and then marched up to the platform and vaulted up the stairs to stand in front of the hulking Joshua. He was kind, she had seen as much in the little interaction she'd had with him and the rest of TC; he even spared her a smile when she stopped short of plowing into him.

"Liz doing good?" Joshua asked, tilting his head downward as she gazed up at him.

"Not at the moment. Thanks for asking," Liz responded, trying to be nice while glaring holes around him at Alec who lost his look of pride and gained one of uncertainty.

"Why not?" He asked.

"I don't want to talk about it right now Joshua. Can I get passed? I need to talk to Alec and Max," Liz said, trying hard not to snap at him. He seemed to realize her bad mood and moved aside so she could move around him.

"You knew," Liz spat angrily, her accusation taking form as she stared at Alec, his arms folded across his chest defiantly.

"Yeah, I knew, but I only found out today," Alec told her. He scratched his head in that cute, nervous way, and Liz wanted to smack him.

"You had plenty of time to tell me about this before I got here," Liz said. Her eyes running the length of him, from his petulant face to his hard chest and biceps, down his torso and legs. She realized she was sizing him up and bit back the urge.

"I couldn't say anything because Max wanted to make sure the other COs were doing their best today, staying on task. You heard her, we cannot afford any mistakes," Alec offered in excuse.

If she weren't so composed, Liz would have rolled her eyes and huffed, but she hardened herself. Glancing behind Alec, Liz watched Max conversing with Jondy about something in a hushed tone- if she wanted to, she could overhear what they were saying, but Liz didn't feel it was the right moment. Giving Alec another hard look, she pushed passed him- which he allowed for without a word- and marched over to Max.

Max took a moment to wrap up her talk with Jondy before dismissing her, and turned to face Liz. "Hi Ad..Liz."

"Max I don't think it should be my unit going on this mission. They need more work, and I they don't trust me enough yet," Liz said, cutting to the heart of the matter.

Max shared a look over her head, presumably with Alec, which only furthered her anger, and then locked eyes with Zack- who stood beside her. He seemed inclined to agree with Liz rather than with Max, she could see it in the way he didn't respond to Max's gaze.

"I made my decision. You are an excellent soldier and your unit has come very far- they are ready for battle if necessary and they already have built in stealth. Whatever problems you have with them will be set aside for this mission. You will do this and I won't change my mind so anything else you have to say against it is moot," Max replied, her voice hard as Liz's glare.

Liz struggled with her inner-stubbornness and tamped down anymore argument she felt compelled to share- she was a soldier, she would do as told to earn her keep. Max was right, if her unit had a problem with her; they would get over it and themselves and deal with the mission at hand. Furthermore, if they wanted out, they would have to leave Terminal City because Max's word was clearly law, she sat in power and that was that. Giving a nod of her head, Liz snapped to attention, saluted Max resolutely, and waited for dismissal- which Max shook her head as she granted it- and then stormed passed Alec and down the platform. When she reached the door, she snatched up her manila folder and marched on out.

As she walked the streets of TC, her mind ran through the list of reasons she was angry. It was not because she was angry about having to go on mission- she was a soldier, that was a given. She was angry because Alec hadn't told her and she'd been confiding all her secrets in him; she was angry because what she said about her unit was true; she was angry because she'd have to leave Maria; she was angry because none of that matter.

Power was rising up inside her, and Liz remembered this out of control feeling. The welling up of emotion and alien ability that pushed to the surface, testing her self-control. Gritting her teeth, Liz tried to force it down, bit back on her resentment, but it didn't stop the coming. It rolled over her skin in crackling beads of green energy, her skin becoming transparent and glowing ethereally; the black well of her bad mood dilating her pupils till the white receded back leaving only darkness. Her breath came out in pants and her mouth quivered with barely controlled restraint.

Liz rode that wave of frustration and rage that usually settle untapped within her and dropped to a crouch, slamming her hands palms flat against the dirty asphalt ground. A ripple of heat and energy sizzled the ground, sending out waves of power that caused the black-top to heave up and explode like lava erupting from the fissure cracks. Her eyes began to overheat- the skin around them turning red and hot to the touch- and Liz closed them, knowing what came next, trying to cease it, trying to control it, but ultimately failing.

Her eyelids drew back in a snap when she couldn't contain it any longer and light shot in a waving stream from both orifices, and she was temporarily blinded by the violent, purple light. The pain was intense- like nothing she could ever imagine- as if her brain were imploding, and when it finally subsided, her body collapsed- empty and exhausted. The emotional slate had been wiped clean and everything around her was mute, sightless, and numb.

It took her a moment for her mind to register that someone was shaking her, trying to bring her back. A shiver went through her as her lungs began breathing again and her heated skin felt the chilly bite of the evening air. Hands were clutching her, pulling her against a hard chest, and they were trembling. She had to open her eyes, Liz knew someone had seen.

Slowly, painfully, Liz opened her eyes. Normally when this happened it took her at least a half hour to do so, but she fought the pain and tiredness to make it happen. Her vision was blurred, light and shadow dancing in front of her, and it intensified the ache that came with her power surges. Everything began to clear up bit by bit until she was staring at Alec's concerned face, contorted with fear. He was talking to her, but she couldn't hear yet- that took some time to come back too.

"Can't hear you yet," Liz said, or at least she thought it came out because she felt the vibrations in her throat. Alec stopped talking, he must have heard her. Good.

A residual wave wracked her body and she clenched her teeth, and smacked her palm against the ground quickly from its dangling position. One of the fissures in the ground steamed in response. It was clear that Alec had seen it as his eyes widened a little bit in response before refocusing on her face. This had been a really bad one- usually she had some muted control over the explosions, the tidal wave of emotions- not tonight. It had built up inside her.

Sound was trickling back. She heard the air around her, listened at the ground still sizzled in front of them down the alleyway. When she was certain that she could hear; she looked up into Alec's eyes.

"I can hear now," Liz mumbled, not certain she wanted to hear what he was about to say.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Not what she expected.

"I will be fine. I'm going to sit up," Liz said, more for her benefit than his. He pushed her back as she compelled herself forward, her body sending shocks through her torso, making her stomach muscles sore.

"What just happened, Liz?" questioned Alec.

"I cannot talk about this here. We have to go somewhere private. Did anyone else see?" Liz asked, dreading the answer. God if anyone knew- she didn't want to think about it.

"No, only me. I was trying to catch up to you since you left Command Central," Alec told her, getting up and then offering her a hand up, but she ignored it and rose on her own. She was a soldier and she would be damned if she couldn't get up from the ground on her own.

"Let's go to my apartment its close," Alec offered; his face stony at her rejection of his help.

Liz nodded and stretched her legs before following behind him, more slowly than she would have liked, but her body was a walking bruise at the moment. The ground beneath their feet was hot as they walked, and they had to avoid still sizzling fissures. As they rounded the corner, Liz saw a lump of melted plastic that used to be a set of crates, hopefully they weren't necessary.

The going was slower than Liz had expected, Alec had dropped his pace when he realized that Liz was several feet behind him. She didn't acknowledge her weakness and neither did he. As they neared his building, Alec took her hand in his, and winced perceptibly when it burned his- still overly heated from the beads of green power. Seeing this, Liz tried to pull her hand back, but Alec held firmly onto it, almost dragging her to his door.

Inside, Liz again tried to disengage her hand from his to stand against the far wall, but he pulled her along with him and tugged her down to the bed. She might have sagged with relief if she weren't so tense about what they were going to discuss.

"Liz, tell me what happened out there," Alec asked again, taking her other hand and rubbing soothing circles on both. Liz was staring at their interlocked and relishing the moment, not wanting it to end with the forthcoming news.

"Remember what I told you about Max, Michael and Isabel, about their powers. I mentioned how I have them too, but I hoped I wouldn't ever show that to you. That's how it manifested in me, how he manifested in me. When I get too full of anger, or resentment, or any kind of emotional overload- it builds and builds and then it has to be released. Sometimes I can curb it, sometimes I can hold back its full blast, but other times I just have to find a secluded place- hope that I can- and ride it out. It's destructive. It's terrifying. I could kill so many people and not even mean to because of it. I hate it. I hate that it's a part of me," Liz said, her voice going from a whisper to a shout.

Yanking back her hands- causing pain to ripple up her arms and knock the breath from her lungs momentarily- Liz blurred to the other side of the room. While Alec stayed seated, she felt his eyes lock on her, and forced herself to meet them. She expected disgust, anger, maybe even some fear- but he just looked concerned and confused.

"What is it you did exactly?" Alec asked, his voice not judging, but uncertain.

"I don't know what you call it. I don't even know what it really is. But if I don't put my hands on the ground, the green energy forces its way out just like the purple heat. It burns, it rips through me and destroys everything in its path," Liz answered honestly.

"Have you ever…hurt anyone with it?" He questioned, tone gentle.

Liz bit her lip hard until it bleed in her mouth and pooled. She turned from him and a tear rolled down her cheek as she remembered the one time it had happened. "Yes."

"Can you tell me about what happened?" His voice drifted back to her, still not moving from his seat.

"It was when Maria and I were on the run a few weeks after White came to Roswell. Maria and I were eating in a backstreet somewhere in Wyoming. Some guys came down the street- gang members, I think, and one dirty cop. They approached us, the cop in the back, and the others up front. They hassled us about money, demanding we hand whatever we had over, and I refused.

"Maria knew how strong I was and stood by my answer, even though she was terrified. They slapped her, and she hit a wall- she was knocked out with blood dripping down her face. God, I still see it in my head; I hadn't been quick enough to stop them because I hadn't had any sleep for over five days- not a good enough excuse." Liz muttered the last darkly, self-loathing hanging from every word.

"They came at me next and I took them on. The gang members went down quick, but when I turned around the cop had grabbed Maria by the hair, a gun at her head. I was so angry, I looked at him and I thought of what he was supposed to represent, and I wanted to kill him. I wanted him dead and the soldier in me did too, but the alien part reared up first. I managed to get the gun away from him and knocked him down toward his group of thugs. Then it happened. Just like today, but I didn't know back then how to control it at all, or what to do with my hands.

"I was in a rage, I grabbed the cop by his neck and I squeezed so hard. It wasn't necessary to kill him- and I don't kill without reason, I won't," Liz whispered, her eyes tearing up. "But I couldn't stop it from happening, my hands got hot, the beads started running, he was clawing at me to let him go and I should have, but I wanted to hurt him so bad.

"The guys on the ground were too close. Even if they had been a few more feet away they might have been sort of okay. My eyes got hot, I'd never had it happen that bad- and it had only happened twice before. My mind went blank as my hands released the energy and the cop's head exploded…in my hands. I looked down at the guys on the ground, not really seeing them, not comprehending what had just happened. And that's when my eyes went off- they burst with the pain and the heat and the rage, incinerating them to nothing," she stammered out, gasping in small breaths of sorrow. Remembering how one of them opened his eyes just as her became sightless- she barely caught his look of absolute horror before it happened, but she caught it nonetheless.

"I passed out. I woke up a half hour later and Maria was still out cold. There wasn't any trace of what happened left behind except for the twisted metal of the cop's gun. I used my shirt to cover my hands and picked it up- throwing it in a dumpster two blocks over. I carried Maria eighteen city blocks, got us both on a bus heading out of state, and we left. She doesn't know what happened. I didn't want her to because…I don't even want to know what I did," Liz finished. Tears were running down her face and she was staring at her hands like they weren't hers. The feel of the cop's neck beneath her clenching, squeezing fingers all too real for her in that moment, she couldn't move with the thought.

The sound of the mattress creaking alerted Liz to Alec's movement, but she still refused to turn and look at him, caught up in the nightmare of her memory. She had told him, and now he knew that part of her was a monster- part of her could kill without thought or discrimination. Something people might say all transgenics did, but in truth- they always had a choice as an X operative, even if it wasn't much of one they had the control.

Alec's arms came around her and Liz sagged against him, giving in to her weakness. She didn't want him to hate her- that meant so much to her right then. Her heart beat a weird rhythm and she waited for him to speak.

"You couldn't control it," he said, and that was her point exactly, Liz thought. "You didn't just kill those people to kill them, Liz. You couldn't control it. You didn't get a guidebook, or a choice. You didn't know this was going to happen to you. I would never call you a victim, because that is a weakness I know you won't claim, but this wasn't your fault."

He didn't hate her. That was all that Liz cared about in what he said. He might be right in that she didn't chose to kill those people, but she still did it. Pulling that aside at that moment, letting the pain of that memory die for now, she turned into him and hugged him to her tightly. They stayed like that for a long while before he tugged her to the bed, laying them down side by side, arms curled around each other.

"Does it hurt every time?" He asked in a calm whisper, soothing her.

"Yes. It burns from the inside out," she mumbled into his chest.

"You have learned some control?"

"A little, but not much. It's exhausting, and fighting it intensifies the burn, making it more likely I'll explode worse the next time," Liz confessed, twisting her fingers through his long hair.

"But you have learned some, which means someday, you might be able to control it," he replied, rubbing circles on her back.

"I don't know; it feels too big to control, too painful to contain. But I try, I really do. I don't want to hurt other people, innocent, guilty- whoever. Not without making that choice," she whispered, her body relaxing more and more due to the toll her body had taken.

"I know; I believe you. Get some sleep; we have a mission in the morning. We'll get up early and go over your folder," Alec said, closing his own eyes.

Liz felt her heart well up. She closed her eyes. She promised to try harder next time. She vowed to do well on the mission tomorrow. She wanted Alec to be right about her. She would make sure of it.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only appeared on the horizon outside Alec's apartment window- yellow and orange and full of light- the sun rose. Alec stood leaning against the wall, staring as the day broke, and the mission drew nearer. He could not wait to get through the crappy day ahead. Turning his head, he gazed down at Liz, still sleeping- a miracle in itself- in his bed.

**Chapter Nineteen**

Alec ran a hand through his hair, knowing he must look like a rag; unlike Liz, he needed sleep, but that was impossible- it had eluded him all night. Dropping to the floor, he started doing push-ups it always helped release his tension. While his arms worked his body up and down, Alec thought of what Liz had told him. He had not expected her to answer his questions; he was just as blown away by her confessions as he was when he opened up to her about Rachel.

The bed creaked and Alec caught Liz's movement out of the corner of his eye. She stretched and watched him for a few moments, and then dropped to the floor beside him, taking up his rhythm in turn. God she was sexy, Alec thought; he watched her more obviously as her muscles pumped and released, her skin gaining a healthy color. He watched and admired the straight line of her back, the way she controlled her breathing, the taut stretch of her calf muscles- it was intoxicating. Soon, her body began to excrete natural pheromones, and Alec increased his pace in response, his body revving up and winding tightly, testing his control.

A smile appeared on her face, feral and seductive, and Alec's groin tightened in response, refusing to unclench. Gritting his teeth, baring them at the floor, he finished his final set, and propelled himself backwards to a stand. He yanked Liz up from her push-ups and fused his mouth to hers in fiery greeting. When he felt the skin on his biceps tearing, blood trickling down his arms, and the bite of nails, his inner-beast preened.

Like being connected to a livewire, Alec felt charged, energy coursing through him while he thrust his tongue into her mouth, the roughness pleasing him, his body humming with it. He moved his right hand downward, resting it against the small of Liz's back, and compelling her more closely to him.

Liz pulled back from him, and Alec rested his forehead against the crown of her head, their breathing synced. The healthy color her body had worked up from exercising was now a full-blown blush, and the smile on her face had turned sweet, so different from any one he had ever seen from her. Her eyelids were cast down and her chest brushed his with each new breath; he could feel the teasing of her hard nipples through the material of their tee shirts.

"Good morning," Liz breathed, tilting her face up to his, her eyes soft.

"Mhm," Alec murmured, leaning down to her, placing another- gentler- kiss against her lips.

"How'd you sleep?" Alec asked, chin resting atop her head.

"Good. Surprisingly good." She moved her head to the side, her ear resting against his chest, the weight of it comforting to him. He had never felt so intoxicated by a woman before, though many had made memorable impressions. "How did you sleep?"

"Good," he said, delivering the lie with Manticore ease. Alec could feel her sigh against him, and pulled back to look down into her wide, brown eyes.

"You're a really good liar, but I'm a light sleeper," Liz told him, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Let's go over that folder," Alec said, changing topics in his not-so-subtle way.

Liz sighed again, but agreed, and when Alec patted the bed beside the spot he'd taken up, Liz joined him. They went through the layout of the new base, found the weaponry, four main post centers, the lab schematics, and a mock up of the underground levels- however the lower levels had little detail, as if someone had done a good job hiding whatever was down there. The set up for the facility was unusual, not Manticore format, and not something that Alec thought Lydecker would have built if he had had free reign over the blue prints during construction. Overall, though, the compound was neatly organized with little margin for error with what Max had planned.

"Do you think Max can pull this off? I'm not one to question insane missions- I have had my fair share- but this is a pretty big base of operations with three levels. The lower levels that only Sandeman claims to have an intimate knowledge of and that he cannot, or will not go into detail about." Alec watched Liz's face as she listed her concerns, watched the way she dropped her badass shell to voice her uncertainty; she looked like an normal girl, not a genetically-altered warrior.

"Maxie has got this thing wired, don't worry about it. She took down Manticore, and she's not afraid of improvising if something whack does go down. Besides, you'll be there; I know it will be fine."

Leaning in, Alec pressed his lips to hers again, massaging his hands up and down the length of her arms; smirking when he felt goose-bumps rise up over her arms. He nipped her lip, teasing her, pulling her out of her doubts, and it worked. She looped her arms around his neck, tugging him lower, bringing herself up on her tiptoes to even out the separation in their height difference. He felt one of her hands disappear before a startling pinch to his ass shocked him out of their kiss.

Liz giggled mischievously and took off through the apartment, out the door and down the halls. He stared dumbfounded at the spot she had just been before smiling wickedly, and then gave chase, taking off after her with her scent lingering in his nose, the stroke of her tongue still tingling on his.

Their steps were soft and imperceptible, but the vibrations of their running shook the floorboards, and Alec instinctively slipped into predatory mode, pulling back and looking for the tell in her patterned run. Going with his gut, Alec veered off into a vacant, dust-covered room, vaulted out the broken window, and used both hands to catch the handrails of the sliding fire escape ladder, riding it down to the first floor window below, and swung through it, shattering glass in a halting sound before tackling Liz to the rag-covered floor.

They rolled, struggling for dominance until Liz gave in and allowed for sweet victory to be had. Alec pressed their lips and tongues together again in a fevered rush of the adrenaline, savoring her taste, feeling the smooth, silken texture of her tongue- toying with her cloyingly, entreating her to enter his mouth as his tongue retreated back. She gasped a needy sound when their lips separated for a small amount of oxygen and Alec pushed her harder against the floor, pushing away from her in tandem. He stared into her self-satisfied eyes, crinkled around the edges from the grin stretching across her beautiful face. God, she was so incredibly sexy when she smiled.

"I think we should change into fresh fatigues and head over to Command," he told her, removing one hand from her arm and reaching up to stroke the skin behind her ear, tucking her splayed hair away, over her left shoulder.

"I think we were just in the middle of something personal, and you know what they say about mixing business and personal," Liz whispered softly up at him, demurely; then in a flash, Alec found himself on his back, her legs on either side of his lower torso and her lips firmly planted to his. He felt the heat growing between Liz's thighs and when her tongue snaked out to thrust forcefully into his mouth- Alec groaned into her mouth. It would be so easy to take her rough and hard, letting her ride him while he pumped up into her before rolling her on her back and dictating to her pleasure with his deep, hard thrusts.

Alec pulled back with a growl rumbling in his chest, ready to take her, ready to show her what pleasure meant. Instead, Alec bit down painfully on his inner cheek, clutching Liz's arms to hold her at a distance even as she thwarted his attempts to stop her with the grinding of her pelvis into his bold, hard erection.

"Liz," he said, his voice commanding. She stilled above him, staring down at him as her hips jerked to a stop. He leaned up and kissed her forehead, calming her, attempting to soothe back his own hunger, "Time to go."

She nodded reluctantly, and Alec watched her rise, her sexy, tight muscles teasing him. He watched her like a man possessed, and at the moment Alec wanted to possess her- all of her. The sound of her moans in his hears, her screams echoing off walls, her wet warm heat gripping him. Shaking his head, Alec grunted and got to his feet. They walked more calmly, close but not touching, and made their way toward command.

Liz stopped in to see Maria, and Alec watched their interaction. It was light at first, and Alec kept by the door to give them some semblance of privacy, but he tuned in to the conversation as their voices became angry and less-whispered.

"You're going to get yourself killed, Liz," Maria emoted angrily.

"No I'm not. I was trained for this, Maria. I know what I'm doing, and I can't just say no," Liz reasoned, he heard the edge of irritation in her voice.

"Yes, you can. They can't make you do anything. God Liz, what would I do if you didn't come back? What would happen to me and the baby?" Maria's voice grew louder and several Xs turned to stare at the two women, even Alec was hard pressed to keep his eyes on the door as if he couldn't hear every word.

"I was born to this life, and I'm going to earn our keep. This is war, Maria. What we faced back in Roswell is nothing compared to this. I am coming back, but if I don't you will be taken care of. You may not like what I have to do, or what I am, but this is real Maria, and you have to face the truth about who I am," Liz whispered back vehemently, her eyes cold and unreachable. They stared at each other for a long time- Alec stole a look to see them staring off- before Liz moved her eyes to Maria's large, protruding stomach. It seemed to be growing at a fast rate, Alec noted, and he wondered how long it would be before Maria popped.

"It's like I don't even know you anymore. I'm your best friend, Liz," Maria told her. He heard the tears before he smelled the salt of them. Zack stiffened beside him, and Alec glanced at the X5, his head facing the entrance too, but his ear tilted toward Liz and Maria.

"You are my best friend, Maria, and I'm doing what I have to in order to keep us safe. Look at you, the baby is so big. You need medical help and we are right where we need to be for you to get it. I'm still your best friend, Maria." Liz suddenly gasped and Alec's head snapped toward her involuntarily.

A glowing, moving handprint appeared on Maria's not-fully-covered stomach. Liz reached out to touch it and Alec leapt from his spot over several cots and pulled her back. "Liz don't touch it, you don't know if it's dangerous."

"It's a baby," Liz said, her eyes going from his face to the glowing stomach. He let her turn from her, but kept both hands on her waist to stop her from getting too close. "Let go Alec."

"What if he's right, Liz?" Maria asked, her eyes full of more salty, fresh tears. "I mean it's not like there's a 'What to Expect When You're Expecting Aliens' guide book out there."

"I know that that baby is fifty percent Maria Deluca and fifty percent Michael Guerin and neither of you are bad people. Even if you two aren't perfect this baby is going to be a good person, no matter what it is," Liz said, breaking Alec's hold and getting to her knees beside the cot. She touched her hand to Maria's stomach and the glowing hand pressed back.

Alec watched her closely, Liz's eyes growing unfocused and her mouth opening slightly. Her breathing grew erratic as he grew nervous. The hand pressing against Liz's began to glow a soft blue before Liz was sent flying back, crashing into Alec, and the two of them skidded back a few feet- slamming into a cot that overturned as they came to a hitting halt.

"Liz!" Maria screamed, jerking up in bed as her stomach stopped glowing.

"I'm fine," Liz called and Alec sat up, pulling her with him.

"What the hell was that?" Alec bit out, getting up and dragging her along with him. They stopped at Maria's bedside and Liz stared at Maria's baby bump again. Alec noticed that her eyes had a vulnerable quality to them.

"We connected Maria. She showed me stuff. She showed me…Michael and Max and the baby- they were in some sort of weaponry. They saw me, Maria," Liz whispered. Alec noticed Liz shifted uncomfortably while staring into Maria's eyes. They looked like they were wrapped up in a silent conversation.

"You saw him? How did he look?" Maria asked, her eyes big with tears ready to spill out.

"He looked fine. They all looked…just fine." Alec heard the way Liz's voice dipped lower at the end, her eyes glinting hard as ice.

"Well what-" Maria started but was cut off by Zack calling to Liz and Alec that they needed to get to Command.

"Later Maria, we have to go. Stay safe and listened to whatever Alec or Zack tell you while I'm gone. They aren't going to let anything happen to you or my niece," Liz said, throwing in a smile that barely broke the cold shell that had hardened around her.

"Please don't go, not now!" Maria demanded, the tears falling. Liz seemed to have shut herself off to emotions now, and Alec watched as Liz leaned over Maria, kissed her forehead, and pulled back ready to go.

"I'll be back soon," Liz said in way of goodbye, and then she turned to Alec and he felt his breath catch at the brief flicker of sadness he saw- obviously Liz had seen more than she was sharing. But like she said, she'd be back soon and it could wait till later.

When Alec opened the door for Liz leading into Command, they noticed that almost everyone else had already assembled for any last minute debriefing. Two transgenics stood on either side of the bathroom entrances handing out fresh fatigues. Liz murmured something about changing and walked off toward the door with 'Women's' written across it.

Making his way to the upper-platform, Alec noticed the new hardware they were totting. Everyone was receiving a specially-directed comm. unit hooked into a mega-framework of screens wired together to form a huge surrounding area of visual feeds. The screens- all appeared to be new- were mounted up and labeled with each Xs designation. Mole was hooking up live feeds as he handed out each of the devices to the long line forming.

Max and Sandeman were having a discussion just as Alec got to the main set of screens in the center of the raised platform.

"You will need to do your best to keep up, if it gets too much Joshua will care you. If you receive an order, you are expected to fall in line- just like the rest of us. This is going to be very dangerous, you need to know that now," Max told him as she secured her long hair back in a bun at the base of her neck. Her hands were moving jerkily, an unusual display of irritation.

"I understand," Sandeman replied, securing his own comm. device to his neck and ear.

"Good, go find Joshua. I need to get this going," Max ordered, turning after securing her device, and staring out at the crowds. Alec remembered the last time she had taken down Manticore and it had been hard on her then, not knowing what she had unleashed unto the world, now they she did she was probably having a bit of anxiety.

"You cool Maxie?" Alec inquired, bracing his hands on the railing overlooking the forming lines of the unit as they prepped.

"I'm a'ight. I know the dealio," Max said, her voice sounding hard- just how Liz's had sounded earlier.

Alec didn't challenge her statement; he just stepped aside to let her address the crowd below. Everyone was strapped with guns and weapons, an identical sea of black, steel, and shiny boots with different faces looked up at them. Sandeman had taken a place beside Joshua, and was waiting for Max's orders.

"You all know your assignments, you all have your comm. units, you've been debriefed and weapon equipped. There is no margin for error today people, this is a mission. Be ready to retreat and return here to Command the moment you hear the first set of explosions. We clear?" A hush fell over the room and Max's voice rang off the walls in the utter silence that answered her. "Good. Move out."

Alec watched as the clear cut lines moved with precise, organized structure. The doors leading out to the South exit from TC were thrown wide open as the soldiers marched in tandem to Max's direction. Liz was one of the last to leave, and Alec stared as she marched, her boots stomping in time with the others issued. When she was about to pass through the door, she looked back. That's all that Alec needed, that tiny indication Liz was there, even deeply buried in the soldier- even with Adia's eyes shining back at him.

Once the last X exited, the doors to Command were closed and transgenics were zipping from station to station, focusing on live feeds, computer maintenance, and checking in with the Xs on guard around the perimeter. They had doubled security from the last mission, tight rotating lines of defense surrounded the barrier fence around Terminal City- not a stray soldier wandered the streets. Everyone had an assignment.

Turning back to the screens, Alec noticed that the audio feeds were down, but all the visuals were in check. "Mole, what's up with the audio?"

"We had to cut the audio for all the screens. The computer's hard drive is too loaded with commands as it is with all the visual feeds, if we added in the audio it would short out the motherboard and we'd lose our whole operation. We have a main feed here," Mole gestured to a single screen next to his cigar box, no designation was written on a piece of tape across the top. "We click on this box here, punch in the command line- whose ever designation we are looking for- and click on the line that pops up. It automatically transfers the feed from the designated screen to this one, and we can adjust the volume to hear the audio."

Alec followed from point A to point B and nodded that he understood. He moved from the comm. units to the TC area cameras. He watched the steady progression of Max and her chosen unit as they made their way through the city and out the South tunnels leading down to the last docks near the market before they lost sight from the TC cameras.

For a while, the transgenics in Command watched the monitors with interest, waiting for Max and the unit to arrive at the new Manticore, but several chose to take up in the ring to relieve some of the built up adrenaline. Alec stood behind Mole, giving commands on which feeds to bring up, and braced his hands behind him on the railing as he stared. The unit had just reached Manticore when one of the Xs monitoring TC came rushing up the platform steps to Alec's side.

"Alec, we have a problem," said the X- a short red-haired male of the X6 series. "White and his men have arrived. They've broken through the South tunnels and stormed the city. There are at least fifty of them. We have two men down already."

Blurring to the monitors in question, Alec hit the play by play command keys to show how White had broken in. Two X7s were with him; they came up through the tunnels and took down the two guards on immediate standby. When they had made a hole through security, White and his breeding cult posse came up next. The X6 had been right when he said they were storming the city, the enemy was swarming up from the tunnels, engaging the double guard, and making a steady advance to the heart of the city- to Command Central's door.

"Everyone in here who doesn't need to be, I want you at South in two minutes. Go!" Alec shouted and Xs blurred from all around him, taking to the streets, and grabbing weapons Max and the others had left behind.

"Mole I need to get to the infirmary. Hold Command no matter what. I want those doors barricaded until you see me at the doors. Don't lose the feed, but shut it down if White or any of his men manage to break in. Do not tell Max what is going on here unless she is approaching on return and the problem isn't solved. Dismissed," Alec ordered. Mole nodded his ascent and Alec took off at a run for the doors. Two transgenics who were guarding the doors let him pass and he reiterated the order to barricade.

Guns were going off in the distance, a loud explosion from the Southwest sector of the city went off, and transgenics on guard duty were running sleekly through the streets. Smoke, thick and black, clouded over part of Terminal City and Alec raced faster to the infirmary. He barreled through the entrance way and came to halt in front of an armed Zack. Zack relaxed his fighting stance as he recognized Alec.

"What's going on out there?" Zack asked him, walking with him to Maria's cot where she was not sitting up and hyperventilating.

"White has breached the South end. He and fifty of his buddies are duking their way toward Command. We need to get Maria back there before he gets there," Alec explained, giving the order to the medics to clear out any and all patients- which was a grand total of five pregnant Xs. They started packing up some supplies and lifting the woman from their beds to carry them toward Command.

"Maria, you have to relax for the baby," Zack told her. Alec noted Zack's change of tone from harsh to calm, but ignored it for the moment, he could always rib the guy later.

Alec moved passed Zack and lifted Maria into his arms. Her stomach was covered but a light was shining through the cotton of her clothes. "I'm taking you to Command, Maria. You're safe with me."

Meeting her eyes, Alec noticed she was almost in hysterical tears and would have sighed if the situation wasn't demanding his immediate attention. Zack was on their heels till they reached the door to the infirmary, and Alec turned, "You need to get to wherever White is and take him out. I need to hold down Command. Go now."

"I'm on my way," Zack replied, not arguing. His soldier face was in place and he raced off ahead of them, then forked left on the next street and disappeared from their sight.

Alec ran as quickly as he could with Maria in his arms. They were two blocks from Command when they hit a wall of resistance. White's men were everywhere, squaring off with Nomalies and X series soldiers alike. He tried to find a way through. Glancing up, Alec's eyesight enhanced, and he saw an emergency ladder on one side of the building to his right and another on the building in front of it ahead of where they stood back from the fray.

"Maria, hold on as tight as you can, okay?" Alec asked, but before she could answer- though her arms did tighten around him- he was bending low before springing up and to the right, one hand catching the ladder above them and the other holding securely to Maria's fragile form. Scaling the ladder one handed was not new to Alec- hell he'd done everything physically straining at least once- but doing it with a pregnant chick weighing him down was a whole new tack.

They reached the roof and Alec had to put Maria up top ahead of him before he could swing overhead and land beside her. As he pulled her to her feet Maria began screaming. Water gushed from between her legs and landed on his boots and her sock-covered feet. The sound of a gun behind them alerted Alec to a new presence and when he turned around, White was standing there on the rooftop across from them- on the next building they needed to reach.

"Alec?" Maria whispered, her hands clutching her stomach while she was bent over wheezing.

"Stay down Maria. Don't move unless you think you're going to get hit by a bullet." Alec instructed her and turned his full attention to White. Taking two giant steps, Alec pushed off from the rooftop and landed hard against the top of the next building.

"Aw your girlfriend looks like she's in pain," White sneered, leveling his gun on Alec. A shot rang out and Alec blurred out of sight only to slam against White hard enough to knock them both to the asphalt rooftop.

A fist came up and collided solidly with Alec's right temple and his vision went for a moment, long enough for White to shove a foot in Alec's stomach and heave him off with the force of his leg extending. Alec rolled mid-air and landed in a push up. He propelled himself backward onto his feet, and charged White again, this time taking him up and over the side of the roof's low-wall. Nails dug into his back as they fell and Alec felt them roll as they landed- him taking the brunt of the fall on the dirty, war-ridden street below.

The cool press of steel against his abdomen indicated a knife, and Alec brought his knee up between them before grabbing hold of White's knifeless hand and yanked him to the side with the force from his knee. They rolled and Alec was on top again. Growling at the feel of the steel stabbing his side, Alec bent his head to the hollow of White's neck and bit into the pumping artery just beneath his vile flesh. The bite went deep and cleans through and when Alec pulled back the cartilage and blood and veins came out with a gush of warm, wet blood. It stained Alec's mouth and shirt and sprayed his face while running in rivers down White's body. The thrill of the kill sent adrenaline pumping faster and harder through his veins, and it only took him seconds to scale the same ladder and land beside Maria.

Maria was panting and crying, her hands ghosting over her stomach in an attempt to calm the painful contractions as they came. Alec lowered himself to her side and picked her up again, moving faster and vaulting the two of them over the gap between the buildings and kept going until they were two buildings from Command's main entrance. There was no fighting the nearer they got to Command Central, and the door's were flung open to admit them when Alec finally came to a stop outside.

Rushing in, Alec called for one of the medics who had managed to get to Command before him and the others. "She's in labor." Turning back to Maria as he laid her flat his eyes suddenly went to the bright, red liquid that was slipping down Maria's exposed left leg. Apparently White had hit a target after all. "And she's been shot."

The medic came over carrying a large duffle bag filled with supplies. He started cleaning and fixing her leg first: cutting off the blood flow, picking out the bits of bullet stuck in her leg, tying it off, cleaning it out, and bandaging it. He then administered a low-level pain killer which helped Maria stop crying, and focus on what the X was telling her to do.

"You are not fully dilated yet, but it won't be too much longer before you are. I need you to relax and focus on your breathing," said the X- he didn't look much older than 20- but he was down there between Maria's legs and Alec was grateful it wasn't him.

"The baby can't be here yet. It's too soon. Ow! And Liz needs to be here. I can't do this alone," Maria said, starting to cry again and turning to Alec with big watery eyes.

"Maria, we need you to stay calm. I'm going to check the monitors and see how the mission is going. I have to check on Terminal City too, but I'll be right back. You aren't alone," Alec told her, but she didn't seem to relax.

Alec was at Mole's side in an instant, and he was watching the main screen where Max's monitor was pulled up and her audio was playing through the surrounding speakers. She was alone in one of the labs- from what they could see- with Lydecker and one of his pet Xs. They were having a verbal tete-a-tete while the rest of the unit seemed spread out, in various parts of the compound. Liz was setting up a detonator in the lab room connected to the one Max was in. Everything seemed to be going as planned.

Moving from Mole to the TC monitors, Alec scanned the city. Twelve breeding cult lackeys were aborting; already back at the South tunnels and making their expedient escape. Ten were left fighting, not far from Command, but the number of transgenics far out weighted the number of enemies present. Searching for White, Alec watched as two of his buddies tried to lift his body up off the ground, out of the pool of his own blood, but both were ambushed and soon decapitated. Alec shouted to one of the guards barricading the door and told him a small group of pregnant Xs and medics were coming, and the doors were opened quickly and then closed just as quickly behind the small group.

"Alec!" Maria screamed, and her body heaved up as the glowing in her stomach got brighter and brighter, the light bluish green in color.

Blurring to her side, Alec watched as the wide-eyed medic reexamined Maria's expanding vagina, the crown of the baby beginning to show. The medic ordered Maria to push and she grabbed hold of Alec's hand and squeezed with all her might, screaming and crying and gasping for air. Zack was with them in the next moment, holding Maria's other hand as she rested her head against his arm and sobbed.

"Push!" the medic ordered. "Push!"

"I am pushing you fucking- AH!" Maria pushed and the head came out and Alec's eyes were wide and his arm was losing circulation and he could not believe what he was seeing.

"Push!" the medic ordered again.

"Son of a-" Maria shouted while giving it her all. Her scream cracked and the shoulders were out. Another grand effort and the baby slid free, a long cord along with it. Alec turned from Maria as she cried in relief, releasing his arm. His stomach felt queasy, his insides were turning, and the sight of the baby was not all tender and cute like he was expecting. Thoroughly wigged, Alec watched as Zack comforted Maria while the medic found clean water and towels and snipped the cord. When the baby was finally in Maria's arms, Zack staring down at them, Alec felt something else completely new to him. But he didn't have time to label his feelings, they had a mission to complete and a battle to finish.

Returning to the Terminal City monitors, Alec saw that the last of the fighting had ended, the dead were being carried to the training field- they had to be buried. He counted nine X causalities on sight, and more than half the invaders were sprawled dead on their streets too. "You two, I want you out their picking up bodies or securing the South tunnels. Now," Alec told the two guards barricading the door. The barricades went up and they were gone.

"Mole report," Alec ordered, taking his previous position behind Mole's chair braced against the railing.

"The labs are down. The hallway connecting the containment rooms and the labs is full of our people, but poisonous gases have been released in the containment rooms. If they don't get there in the next couple minutes there won't be any Xs to rescue," Mole bit out, chopping on his cigar end like there was no tomorrow.

"Who's closest to the containment rooms?" Alec questioned, moving forward to study the monitors.

"Liz and Joshua. But Josh isn't leaving Sandeman unprotected- he won't be of any help," Mole told him.

"Pull up Liz's feed," demanded Alec, hearing the clicking off buttons as Mole complied. Liz's comm. device popped up and her audio rang clear. The sound of fighting and clanking and shouting filled the speakers along with Liz's controlled breathing.

"Liz?" Alec tested.

"I'm here," Liz responded immediately.

"They're releasing poisoned gas into the containment rooms. Can you get to them?" Alec hated the idea of her inhaling that stuff, but someone had to do it.

"How long do I have?" Liz asked, but she didn't catch the reply as she was thrown into one of the thick, bullet-proof glass walls. Alec concentrated on the screen as she elbowed her attacker and swiftly unlatched a gun from its holster strapped to her inner-thigh and shot the woman stabbing at her in the gut.

"How long?" Liz re-questioned.

"Two minutes," Mole said. "Make it fast; some of the young ones are fading."

They followed Liz's progression through the fighting mass of bodies and weapons. She had to battle her way through half the crowd before jumping into the air and kicking her legs for extension, landed just near the doors to the containment cells. She was trying to punch in the code, but it wasn't working.

"Mole I need the code." Liz said and Alec watched her beat at the keypad in frustration.

"I don't have it," Mole told her, going over his papers.

"Fuck this shit. Alright," Liz whispered into her mouthpiece and the next moment the comm. device was short-circuiting, fuzz showing up on the screen and then re-tuning to her visuals. Alec was mesmerized by her glowing skin, the blue veins popping against its translucency, and her fingers were twitching. She slapped her bare energy-pulsing hands against the door and it exploded outward into her. Liz flew back into another wall, several sparring pairs also taking in the blast, and the door seemed to disintegrate as the light died out.

Transgenics from inside the cells poured out in a frenzy, but some of the cells were still locked inside. Alec's eyes were on Liz when she finally moved and raced into the cells ahead, face covered by the thin material of her shirt. The gas was yellowy in color, putrid looking. Alec noticed that two small children were curled up together in the corner, one passed out while the other watched on protectively.

"Come on, we need to get out," Liz said to them, her voice clear and stable now that the light and energy had gone.

The little boy holding the smaller boy's passed out body nodded and staggered to his feet, pulling helplessly at the dead weight connected to him. Liz rushed up- getting hit in the face with a newly released gust of gas- and bent coughing to retrieve the child. She pulled him up into her arms and slammed her hand against the button that stopped the other two cells from opening and the last of the adults and two children raced from the rooms and out the empty doorway.

"Get out of there, Liz," Mole shouted and just as Liz raced out of the contained area poisoned darts shot out of hidden holes in the cell walls.

The fighting was raging strong still as Liz made it back into the hallway, the passed out boy in her arms, and she had an even harder time getting back to Max. Alec saw that the door separating Liz from Max also had a code, but Liz knew this one and was inside quick.

Max was facing off with the X7 Lydecker had brought with, and Alec cringed when the kid blurred behind her and kicked her face down to the ground before dislocating her shoulder from her arm.

Liz put the child down far from Lydecker and the fighting duo. Max was up and fighting again, but Alec noticed Liz's steps going to Deck, her hand coming up to his neck, cutting off his air.

"Down Boy Wonder or your owner gets it," Liz threatened, tightening her grip on Lydecker's throat as he gasped and kicked out, his arms coming up to pull at Liz's slender fingers.

Alec couldn't hear the X7's reply, but the kid stopped and Max was up and by Liz in a heartbeat.

"Max, get the X6 by the door," Liz instructed, loosening her grip a little. "Now are we going to play nice or do I have to remove a few body parts?"

Lydecker squirmed against the wall and ordered the X7 to back off. "Nice it is," Liz said, letting his feet come down to touch the floor.

"Liz what are you doing?" Max asked, her arms full with the small boy.

"Getting us out of here. Come on Dick, time to move. When we get to the hallway you are going to give the order for your men to stand down and follow, understand?" Liz asked Lydecker, her eyes only for him and Alec watched as he inclined his head in a courteous manner.

Alec and Mole noticed the X7 fall in behind them, no longer aggressive- completely passive. The fighting in the hall stopped slowly as everyone moved from fight mode to falling in line. Max, Liz and the unit surrounded the enemy, giving orders and watching as Deck nodded his head for them to follow.

"Looks like we're expecting company," Mole said, pulling out a new cigar from the box near the screen.

"Looks like. I want security back up and running now, and when they come through the tunnels I want a twenty-man welcoming committee to escort them here. I have to get back to Maria." Alec said to Mole and the Nomalie who entered from the unbarricaded door to tell them they had a total of eleven deaths on their side and twenty-eight deaths for the enemy.

When Alec appeared beside Maria, she was sleeping and Zack was holding the baby. Alec leaned in closer to see the cleaned, clothed baby girl. Her big eyes were green- like Maria's- and her head was completely bald. She had a small, pert nose; tiny rosey lips; and pale, pale skin. Her tiny hands and feet were kicking and she was making small, unintelligible noises.

"She's cute," Alec commented, taking a seat by Zack who was still staring down at the bundle in his arms- a small, army-issued blanket enfolding her.

"She's beautiful," Zack rejoined and when he looked up, they shared a smile. Alec took in the fact Zack was leaning protectively near Maria's sleeping form, and he knew something was going on there.

"We better get them back to the infirmary before Max and the unit gets back, they're bringing the party with them," said Alec, pointing to Maria and the baby as well as the other medics and pregnant Xs around the ring.

"I'll get on it," Zack said and Alec nodded, repeating the order to the medics and moody females. Shortly after they were packed up and headed out, Mole shouted back to Alec.

"They'll be here in two clicks," Mole shouted out.

"Ready to shout surprise?" Alec joked as he raided the weaponry.

"Only if Deck's the party favor," Mole said back, smirking into his cigar.

Alec threw out another flippant comment, took station at the door, and waited for their arrival.

_**Author's Note:**_ Well here is the long awaited Chapter 19. I hope you enjoy it, I look forward to reading everyone's reviews. EK!


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

**Chapter Twenty**

The first thing Liz notices as Max ordered them through the South tunnels leading into Terminal City was the gaping hole in their secure perimeter. Max was shouting into her headset at Mole, demanding answers. What the hell happened while they were out?

Gritting her teeth, Liz observed the damage done to the city as she marched in tandem to the footfalls of her unit- gripping Lydecker's arm viciously as he marched beside her, silent and staring. Out of the corner of her eye, Liz saw Zack helping sort and retrieve bodies from the fall out of what appeared to be a city-wide fight. He hefted an armless body, blood dripping from the open wounds, and poured out over Zack's fatigues in red rivers that smelled of decaying flesh and viscous fluids.

"Max," Liz called out, grounding to a halt. Lydecker turned curious eyes on her and Liz bit the inside of her cheek- drawing a metallic blood taste into her mouth. It almost wasn't worth talking to Zack to give up her chance to tear Lydecker to pieces, but she needed to calm down and think clinically. He would get his when the time was right, and she'd be the one to give it to him.

"Halt," Liz heard Max shout, and the ranks fell still.

In a blink, Max was beside her, surveying the damage, "Soldier, report."

"Permission to stand down?" Liz asked, her voice neutral while she flickered her eyes from Max to Zack and back- the message clear.

There was a hesitant look on Max's face, but her sister took hold of Lydecker's free arm- her hold looked just as painful and unforgiving- and tugged him roughly to her side, "Permission granted. Be at Command in fifteen minutes. We clear?"

"Yes ma'am, we're clear, ma'am," Liz replied, giving a brief salute, to which Max responded; putting up a formal front until the mission was fully determined as complete.

"March," Max shouted upon returning to the front of the crow, unit falling into step with their hostages at hand.

Making her way to Zack, Liz stepped over weapons and bodies, and around transgenics given the clean up assignment. Some of the bodies were their people, lying in pools of chilling blood, and others were White's men- twisted, breeding cult killers, with odd tattoos and snake marks. Obviously White had seen an opportunity and taken it.

"Zack," Liz called, he was returning from the training field.

"Adia, what happened?" Zack asked, forgetting for a moment to use her new alias. Liz chose to ignore his slip up even though a part of her started at the reminder of her soldier's name. They were two halves of a whole, the woman and the warrior.

"Not important. Where's Maria? How many of us are down?" Liz questioned, glancing down at one of the dead.

"Alec has the official count for both sides, I'm working on city-wide retrieval. Maria and the baby are in the infirmary, both fine," Zack reported, hefting another body over his shoulder and turning from her. Liz blurred in front of him and gave him pause.

"Do you mean the baby-"

"Was born, yes," Zack finished for her, a rare smile gracing his features, it lit up his face entirely- in a way Liz remembered fondly. "She's beautiful, Liz."

Liz nodded, stunned, and watched in a daze as Zack returned to his assignment. More transgenics milled around her, and Liz snapped out of her frozen state, breaking into a blurring run to the infirmary. Pregnant women were resituating themselves on the cots that were left- many having been overturned, others broken in the fray. Maria lay asleep on the farthest one from the entrance, an open cardboard box beside her bed.

As she approached, a medic X came to check Maria's vitals with equipment that had miraculously survived the invasion.

"How is she?" Liz whispered, knowing he would hear her and not wanting to wake Maria. She looked down into the box, and her heart paused- skipping a few beats.

Liz barely heard the medic say "fine" as she saw Maria and Michael's baby for the first time. She truly was beautiful, all pink and white skin with startling green eyes, and Michael's nose (if Liz could picture him as a baby) with Maria's bow lips. Her tiny hands and feet curling and uncurling as she grabbed at air while lying on a bed of folded blankets in the box. There was something intelligent behind her eyes, a recognition as Liz reached in to pick her up; the skin Liz touched soft and perfect.

"Hi baby, I'm your auntie, Liz."

The baby's head laid heavy on Liz's arm while she made soft, curious noises, and opened and closed her mouth over and over with gentle smacks of her lips. One of her small hands wrapped around Liz's hair, then let go and laid it against her chin.

Liz felt her heart melt and allowed her eyes to cloud with tears. Michael should be there, she though, to see this amazing baby girl, his baby girl.

As if the baby knew what Liz were thinking, she put her other hand on Liz's chest and energy suddenly pulsed between them, and Liz experienced the sucking sensation she had felt earlier when she had seen Antar. Again the tunneling of her mind, the surge of foreign lights and sounds, and suddenly she was on a beach, beside a towering metal castle with glass doors, and intricate iron archways with purple , blue, and white tinted windows as big as the doorways. Liz stared at the sand in wonder; it was a brilliant, azure blue- and massive moons sat large and opaque in the vast expanse of open space. Magenta water lapped at the blue shore, pale pink foam floating in and out with the tides. Liz stared in wonder as rainbow fish and purple dolphins swam in schools near what seemed like shallow shores.

"Liz?" came a voice from behind her.

Turning, Liz came face to face with Michael and a tall woman- exceeding seven feet tall- whose features were slimmer than anyone Liz had ever seen, and eyes that sat too high on her forehead in a freakish appearance. The two stood in long robes with garish symbols sown over their hearts with gold thread that stood out against the green material- a giant beaded V with five points across the breadth of their chests. Michael's hair had been shorn short, while the woman's hung well below her calves in an intricate braid, held back by a metal band.

"Michael," Liz said, uncertain of what to say.

"Liz, how are you here?" Michael asked, stepping closer, away from the woman at his side and grabbing her in an unexpected embrace. His arms were real around her, tight and warm.

"Michael, is this really Antar?" Liz whispered, her eyes not leaving the woman who was staring at her with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, isn't it beautiful? Isn't it amazing?" Michael said back, not lowering her voice, but pulling back to stare at her. "You look different."

"A lot has happened. Michael…Maria had a baby." Liz said, letting that absorb into his mind, trying to be softer with him, trying to be Liz Parker- it was disconcerting.

"What?" He asked, his eyes big, his hands clenched.

"Michael, she had your baby," Liz said, dropping the bomb as she felt her stomach pulling her, as if it were tugging her away from him, away from Antar.

"My-" he said something, but it didn't come through to her ears. His image was growing more distant. Liz fought against the tug, push against it, and Michael came in clear again. "How?"

"Look Michael, whatever is keeping me here- and I'm pretty sure it's your baby- is pulling me back. Maria and I are Seattle, in Terminal City. I'm not who you thought I was, there is more going on than you know. If you can come back, we need you. I don't know what you guys know up here about the goings on of Earth, but transgenics exist and I'm one of them. We are fighting a losing battle and a disease is spreading through the United States, fast. I'm trying to help find a cure, and we are safe right now, but that won't last. Get Max, find Isabel and get the hell off this rock and come home. We need you, Michael. I'm not asking, I'm telling. We are part of your unit too, you can't just leave us behind," Liz told him and part of her refused to beg him, but he was her family too- to an extent. He had trusted Liz when she was a complete liability to them and now she trusted him to do what was right.

"Transgenics?" Michael asked, confused. His face scrunched up familiarly and Liz felt that tugging again, stronger this time.

"Genetically enhanced super-soldiers who have hybrid DNA that's mixed with animal compounds. I don't have time to explain everything," Liz said, and just like that she was back on Earth, in the infirmary, standing beside Maria's cot holding the baby.

"Liz?" called Maria, lying on her side and staring up at Liz with tired eyes, eyes that were slowly closing and fluttering open.

Looking from the baby in her arms to Maria's face, Liz slipped a complacent mask over her face. She smiled down at the baby, and placed her back in the box, gently.

"How are you?" Liz asked, taking Maria's hand in her own as she took up a small seat on the edge of the cot.

"Tired," Maria whispered, smiling softly at Liz. It reminded Liz of her mother, of that look her mother gave her when she was content and motherly. It made her heart ache and remember what Nancy Parker had looked like in life- before White had gotten to her.

"Big day, huh?" Liz said rhetorically, brushing a long strand of Maria's blond hair away from her face. There was a delicate glow about Maria, her skin was pale from overexertion, but beautiful.

"Yep, and I got shot too," Maria said, chuckling a little. Liz started and grabbed the blanket covering Maria- pulling it down to her ankles and staring at the bandaged thigh wound.

"Oh my God, Maria. I'm so sorry I wasn't here. How?" Liz asked, trying to bite down on her rising anger. How could Alec allow for this to happen?

"White was fighting with Alec and he shot off his gun. It fucking hurt like a bitch, but they gave me this needle and now it's all better. Ten times better than cypress oil," Maria joked and Liz regained some of her composure, sliding the blanket back up to Maria's chest, and hugging her tightly. "Your man saved the day, you know. He got me to the main building with all the computers and stuff and he killed that White guy."

White was dead? Liz's inner-soldier gave a delicious thrill of excitement as she stared at Maria, hearing those words. Liz would have liked to have been the one to kill him, to rip his still-beating heart from his chest, breaking through flesh, bone, cartilage, and veins, but Alec doing it sent a whole different feeling spiraling through her. It was hot and needy and vicious. She wanted to see him for a whole new set of reasons.

"I went in to labor right after he got back up on the roof. He carried me onto a roof, Liz! We jumped over a freaking gap in between buildings! He was like Superman or something," Maria told her excitedly, her words jazzed even as her hand gestures drooped.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there. I wish I had been there," Liz replied, glancing down into the open box again.

"It's okay. Alec and Zack were there. Zack helped me a lot," Maria whispered, her cheeks turning a bright blush color.

"You like Zack, don't you?" asked Liz.

"Yeah, but not like, you know, a lot a lot, just you know," Maria said, rolling her eyes and turning on her side more fully to look down at the baby.

"I saw Michael, Maria," Liz told her.

"Yeah, you said-" Maria started, but Liz shook her head.

"Just now. The baby, she connected us. I told him to come back," Liz said. She didn't want this to be sprung on Maria if they did come back, if Michael and Max and Isabel suddenly came back. She hadn't thought about how it would affect Maria's growing affection for Zack; they needed back up and that was what had mattered.

Maria was quiet for a minute, and then she put her arms out into the box and picked up her daughter, so tiny and fragile.

"I don't know what that means," Maria finally said, not looking up at Liz. "I miss him so much, you know. I want him to come back, but things aren't the same. We've been on the run for so long, and so much has changed- I've changed. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I have. And I do like Zack, you know- a lot."

"We need the help, Maria. The mission went sideways, and now Lydecker is here, and his men and things are getting bad- they're getting worse. The disease is showing up in parts of America now, and I don't know if we're going to be this alone." Liz admitted, keeping her voice down, and noticing that several transgenics had turned their way to listen.

"I know why you did it, Liz. I still get that about you, you do what's best for everybody. You got us here, didn't you?" Maria said, smiling up at her friend just then, a knowing looking passing between them and Liz felt like they were back in high school again- reading each other like no one else did.

"Yeah, I did. I promise, I'll always be here for you and my niece," Liz said, putting out one of her hands to smooth over the baby's head.

"I've come up with a name," Maria announced to Liz, and stopped for a moment, looking over Liz's shoulder.

Glancing behind her, Liz saw Zack coming in, stripping off his dirty t-shirt and pulling on a new one as he walked over to them. His eyes were on Maria and the baby, his smile automatic.

"Hi Zack. You're just in time. I was telling Liz the baby's name," Maria reiterated, smiling especially sweet for him and Liz ran a hand through her hair- it was growing somewhat, still choppy and short, but a little below the front of her shoulders. "Her name is Jillian Michelle Guerin. Alex helped me pick out her first name like way back when we were in middle school and Michelle is the feminine form of Michael, and he is her dad, so she deserves his last name."

Liz thought it was fitting, and she had to look at the ceiling when she mentioned Alex. Alex had been her greatest failing, Liz thought. He was the one truly good person Liz had ever met- through and through an innocent. She had failed him. She hadn't seen what was right there. Shaking off the bad memories, Liz smiled for Maria and told her how nice that was as Zack agreed it was right for her.

"I have to get to Command," Liz informed them, standing abruptly as Zack moved closer.

"Okay, go kick butt. I'm going to feed Jillian and then I'm probably going to sleep. Will you visit me later?" Maria inquired, even though her eyes were constantly drawn back to Zack like a magnet.

"Always," Liz told her, and left quickly. She made her way through the carnage of the city- noticing that many transgenics were gathering bodies, or parts, and heading toward the training field as Zack had earlier. She sped up and was at Command's doors quickly.

Inside, transgenics were everywhere, holding the new hostages, glaring at Lydecker, and listening as Alec gave them new orders. He looked savage, and it was sexy as hell.

Ignoring all others, Liz scanned the crowd for Max and made her way over. Lydecker and Sandeman were staring at each other- neither blinking. It was like a silent pissing contest, Liz concluded, and realized a small part of her was rooting for the old man.

"Liz back Max," Joshua said upon seeing her, and Liz offered him one of her rare smiles- he was genuinely good too- even though she had seen the fierceness that had come out of him during the mission as he protected Sandeman, his 'father.'

"Take Lydecker to the interrogation room. Sandeman and I have to have a little chat about the dealio with the virus," Max ordered, thrusting Lydecker at Liz with an extra vicious grip.

Nodding, Liz took Lydecker's right arm and marched him through the parting crowd. Adults or child, all the transgenics watched their progress from one end of Command Central to the other, even as they slipped through the back exit and toward the building that originally housed Ethan and Raed. Thinking of them, Liz wondered where they had been- they hadn't been in the visible range of the growing numbers in Command.

"It's good to see you, Adia," Lydecker said, his head turned to look at her even as Liz ignored his stare and continued to keep her head facing forward. "You are even more beautiful now than you were as a child."

The animal instinct to maim and kill was riding her, Liz realized. Just the sound of his voice riled her disgust and hatred, the need to dispose of her enemy. Never had she wanted more to be free of duty and responsibility- never before had she craved the kill so much.

They passed several guards- the streets now free of body parts and corpses in the West end. Once they reached the building and Liz retraced her steps to the room she had visited so frequently in the past weeks, did she allow herself to look at him. She turned the knob on the interrogation room, noting the two guards that had set up station, and shoved Lydecker down to the floor where he fell ungracefully in a flat sprawl. His face was weather with age, forehead lined, his lips tight and crowed, his hair receding, his hands wrinkled and covered in liver spots; but those eyes were the same, intelligent and calculating.

"Why'd you leave, Adia? You had so much potential, you were perfect," Lydecker asked, his face soft and caring- a falsehood draped in manufactured compassion.

"My name's Liz," Liz told him, saying it between gritted teeth.

"I have to say, I liked Adia better," he said with a mild shake of his head.

Liz couldn't help her next move, it was instantaneous. She hauled him up from the floor, slammed him into the wall, and brought her fist down against his jaw- leaving a red mark that foretold future purpling. The feel of her fist slamming down against his face came with a rush of adrenaline and feral pleasure that she did it again, harder and quicker- a blur of excitement. Breathing deeply, Liz recentered herself, gathered her inner-soldier and clamped down on the animal that lived and breathed within her.

"If I want to know your opinion, I'll give it to you," Liz whispered, her words lethal and cautionary, her eyes wild with threats they both knew were warranted and real.

"Yes ma'am," Lydecker mocked, his tone serious while his eyes told another tale.

Shoving him down into the single metal chair that sat in the middle of the room, Liz went to the door and shouted for duct tape, thick and abrasive robes, as well as a lighter and pocket knife. Long moments passed where they just sat and stared at one another and Liz saw the rolling flashes of her Manticore memory lane. Images of her brothers and sisters confined by metal chains at the bottom of military commissioned pools; of the bullet wounds purposefully inflicted to test healing capabilities; of scientists with needles and poisons that made them puke and piss themselves in their sleep until they prayed for the bliss of unconsciousness; of the lasers that seared off their barcodes for missions; of the parade of tutors and tapes that reinforced Manticore directives. In the time it took for the guards to gather her requests, Liz replayed the litany of tortures her childhood boasted- that Lydecker represented and reinforced even now. She remembered the hot-cold press of metal and the burn of liquid chemicals jolting her body and reforming her insides. It all happened yesterday, in that moment, tomorrow, the next day- it was a loop of forever in her mind just then.

"So angry," Lydecker commented, breaking their silence as Liz roped him to the chair, knotting him expertly and efficiently.

Tossing the tape to the ground close by, Liz began lighting the tip of the fold out blade, watching as the metal grew red first and then glowed angrily like her mood. Lydecker's eyes stayed on hers and hers his while her hands did the work her mind knew routinely.

"What's so special about me?" Liz asked, her eyes flicking to the various parts of his body she had to chose from, depending on his answers.

"You're perfect," he answered, smiling. Staring into his eyes, Liz pressed the heated blade to his exposed neck, listening to the sizzle and smelling the burning flesh as he cried out.

"How am I perfect?" she asked once she had removed the blade and spit on the bubbling wound- a cool relief and a harsh, vindictive respite all in one.

Breathing heavily and staring at her with more weariness than before, Lydecker replied, "Like Max, you have no junk DNA. Every part of you is coded to achieve something. Every piece of who you are is crafted to uphold the skills necessary to be a perfect soldier," he told her, eyes on the blade the whole time. Teasingly, Liz drew it close to the other side of his neck and a malicious smirk graced her lips when he flinched from it.

"How am I any different from Max if we have the same kind of DNA coding?" Liz questioned, drawing patterns in the air with the knife and relighting it with the lighter closer to his face, slightly below his ear.

Gulping soundlessly, Lydecker met her gaze, "Your brain is larger, but that isn't what makes you magnificent. The average human uses eight percent of their brain, maybe ten. The average transgenic used twenty-five to thirty. You, Liz, use well over seventy-five percent of your brain, at a time. There is not a moment that you are not functioning on more than three-fourths of your intellectual abilities. Where others can jump ten foot fences, you could leap over thirty. Where others have tactical teams, you are one. When you see something- anything- you take it in in dimensions, each facet connecting to a single cell that lights up all at once and processes at the same time.

"Multi-tasking is a figure of speech for everyone except you. The human mind was meant to process one thing at a time, some more rapidly than others- those are who are known as multi-taskers. Transgenics can achieve three to four thoughts at once. You, however, are capable of so much more. Right before you left us, we tested that. You were able to process fifteen itemized thoughts at once. Now, your abilities are exponentially greater- I'm sure," he explained, his face beaming at her with pride. It sickened her that he was proud.

Quickly, Liz ripped open the chest of his shirt and drew the blade from the top of his sternum to his belly button, pressing deep enough to draw blood, but not enough to kill him, or drive him to a delirium passed reasoning. His screams, the sight of his blood, the sound of his cauterizing skin, and the hiss of breath that left her filled the room and Liz rode the wave of sadistic joy cresting through her chest. She withdrew the knife for a moment and then plunged the blade through his left shoulder and listened to the whistle of wind as she cut so fast through the air it too emitted a noise.

"Oh God," he said, dropping his head forward.

"The devil asking God for help? Blasphemy," Liz whispered near his ear, and then repeated the plunging strike to his other shoulder after ruthlessly ripping it out of his left.

"Please," he cried out and Liz twisted the blade.

"Why should I show you mercy? Isn't this what you hoped to achieve with me, with the others? We were barcodes and numbers until you needed us to maim, kill, hunt, observer- this was our purpose. Aren't you pleased?" Liz asked with hate welling inside her chest, envisioning little Michael and herself and the others- every person whose innocence was stolen by the greed of their government, by the tinkering scientists who made them what they were.

The door opened behind them and Liz, still crouched beside a restrained Lydecker tugged out the blade- a large portion of blood pouring out with it. Alec, Max, and Sandeman stood at the entrance: Max worried, Alec smirking, and Sandeman impassive.

"Ah, the sister arrives," Lydecker said between gritted teeth before spitting out a mouth full of blood- he had bitten the inside of his cheek while screaming.

"Shut up," Max ordered, her worry evident. "Maybe you should go to the infirmary, to Maria, Liz."

"Coddling your baby sister won't get you anywhere, Max. Even your mother knew that when she left her with us," Lydecker continued and Max crossed the space between them and had her foot connecting with his chest before his breath had fully rushed out, sending the chair skidding back several feet.

"What are you talking about?" Liz asked, her attention back on the captive. Her eyes met Max's panicked ones before meeting Lydecker's satisfied smile.

"She didn't tell you?" he asked.

"I said, shut up," Max restated, not meeting Liz's eyes.

"No, I want to know," Liz told her, looking again at Lydecker. Alec and Sandeman now stood forgotten, even as the door slid shut behind him.

"Liz-" Alec tried, but she held up a hand and he quieted.

"You and Max are sisters, it's that simple," Lydecker said.

"Yeah, and?" Liz asked. She knew this. If he was going to be uncooperative she might start relighting the blade.

"No, not unit sisters, biological sisters. You have the mother," Lydecker informed her, the words ringing hollowly off the walls. Liz looked to Max to see her reaction- she didn't have one, her face was stoney and blank. Suddenly, Sandeman's words about the cure came rushing back, everything he had said, and his first implications.

She turned to him then, looking him up and down, "Is it true?"

Sandeman appeared uncomfortable in that moment, but he nodded, "Yes."

Max's stone face cracked a little and she offered Liz a smile, "I wanted to tell you after all this was over; when we could sit down and not deal with some whack war."

Shock flooded her and Liz put up a wall. Her face went still and blank, but her mind reeled. She had an honest to God sister- one she had known all along. Not just cooked up in a lab, or redefined by genetic comprehension, but a blood to blood sister. And she hadn't even told her. She was going to let all those people get sick and not say a word. They might have died and Liz would never have known.

Furious, but deadly calm, Liz turned back to Lydecker and slammed the blade into his torso- hitting a bloody area that would see him bleed like a pig, but nothing to sustain irreparable damage. He grunted and the smug expression on his face dropped. Without another word, Liz left the room, the building, the street, and finally, ducked out into one of the tunnels leading out of the city- the whole time moving faster and faster as her skin glowed a dangerous hue and Alec, calling her name, fell hopelessly behind.


	21. Chapter TwentyOne

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

**Chapter Twenty-One**

Alec slammed back another double shot of bourbon and placed the glass back down on the counter before refilling it with the half empty bottle beside him on the bar. The fire of it burned down his throat in a hot rush of comfort and the cool feel of glass in his hand made his fists clench along with his teeth. Five fucking hours had passed since Liz had disappeared out the perimeter of Terminal City and two hours since Alec had lost her in too thick sea of people, cars, bikers, and flying heat scanners.

Why did she have to bolt? Why couldn't she stick around and deal with the problem at hand for once? Damn it, why did they have to tell Liz now? Couldn't it have waited until Max was alone with her to lay her blood relation to Liz on her?

Glaring at the bar top, Alec shot back another dose of liquor and ran a frustrated hand through his hair before turning his miserable gaze on the bottle. Nice brand, Maker's Mark, pre-pulse. Normally he'd savor the taste of it, or share it with a lucky lady. But Liz changed that, Alec thought. And here he was sitting alone drinking a handle to himself.

"Hey Alec, buddy, how's it hanging?" Sketchy said, taking up the stool next to him-as if he looked like he really wanted company.

"Not now, Sketch."

"What's the deal, man? I ain't seen you in here in forever."

"Not now, Sketch."

"Aw come on. I found these suckers by the pool table and I know you can take 'em. Maybe we can go fifty-fifty on the action-"

Alec moved so fast he was a blur to Sketchy, and a fast moving weapon to the Xs scattered throughout the bar hall; he took hold of Sketchy by his t-shirt and brought him down against the bar with a heavy thud. "I said, not now, Sketch."

Eyes wide, Sketchy brought his hands up to Alec's wrists and tugged. "Yeah man, whatever."

Suddenly Alec felt a fist collide with the side of his head, knocking his grip free and releasing Sketchy while he tumbled to the floor over a few stools and against the side of a pool table. The inhabitants of the game snatched up their money and backed away as Max came at him. She jumped down on top of him, straddling his chest, and used one of her hands to press the side of his face against the cool floor.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Max thundered, her voice booming through the bar as transgenics watched on.

"Having a drink," Alec responded. He kicked his legs up over their bodies causing them to flip and Alec to gain the upper hand. Instead of continuing, he yanked his body up and offered her a hand- which she ignored- and blurred back to his seat at the bar; Sketchy long gone.

Max sat beside him, signaling to the X5 behind the counter to bring her a shot glass. Promptly it was set on the bar in front of her, and she reached over for the bottle to fill her own shot after Alec did the same. They shared a look and took the shot and that set the rhythm of the next hour.

After that bottle was empty and the next was well under way, Alec studied Max. She was not her usual self, more sullen and retreated. Her eyes were staring into the bottle of bourbon and a small frown tipped down the corners of her full, lush lips- so much like Liz's.

"What are you thinking?" Alec asked, genuinely unable to kill his curiosity. He examined her while she examined her glass and then they looked at each other and her eyes watered up, which she compensated for by upending the clear bottle causing it to bubble as she noisily drank a fourth of its contents.

"Easy Maxie."

"I always fuck it up, Alec. With everyone important, I always fuck it up. Logan ditched out 'cause he couldn't deal with my past and this whack virus. Liz peaced. And I don't have anybody else," Max said back, her voice deadened by the husk of alcohol.

"That's not true, Maxie. You got me. You got OC and Sketch. We're all here," Alec rejoined. He felt the stir of the liquor in his gut and couldn't help but reach for the bottle again; taking it from Max's clutching hand. "Beside, Logan was an idiot, he didn't deserve you. You'll find somebody."

She looked up at him with those watery brown eyes, so big, just like Liz's, and saw his own misery reflected back at him.

"There is somebody I care about, but it's too soon. Right?" Max said, her question catching Alec off guard as he poured them each a new shot.

"Nah, you waited long enough for that pompous asshole. Whoever this guy is, he's lucky to have you," Alec responded, making a cheers motion with his glass before kicking it back. Max replied in kind. "Who is it anyway?"

Glancing around, Max met Alec's eyes and blew out a breath, fragranced by MMs, and poured the next round. "Raed."

Raising his eyebrows, Alec made a 'huh' face, shook it off, and drank up. He didn't know much about the transgenic, but he seemed alright. A little uptight with protocol- sort of like Zack- but he had a sense of humor. Alec had told a few crude jokes in front of him and Raed had chuckled with the rest of the guys.

"When'd that happen?"

"I don't know. I guess I just realized it a few days ago. I've been spending time with Ethan and Raed to help them get used to this place, you know, the dealio around TC. It's sort of like knowing someone, but having to reprogram the way you see them. Somehow, I just started caring about him. It's like the whole Logan disaster all over again- one minute we cool and I'm all 'what's up' and the next he has me all flipped out."

"Hey you don't have to tell me, I'm in love with your sister." It came out before it processed in his head, that's the only logical explanation Alec had to offer for his sudden proclaimed epiphany. As if he was stating a fact of life, it just rolled off his tongue.

"What?" Max said behind him, and he swore he heard the female bartender sigh regretfully.

"I, um, shit; I'm in love with Liz."

"No you aren't," Max said fiercely, her face a cross between anger and confused.

"Yeah, I think I am," Alec said. He shook his head, mentally rolling his eyes at himself, and then took the bottle and repeated Max's earlier example, but finishing off the bottle with a gasp and signaling for a fresh one. His vision swam a bit and faded around the edges before clearing. Good old transgenic DNA, Alec thought.

"Don't play with me, Alec," Max ordered, standing from her stool to cross her arms over her chest.

Shaking his head once, Alec turned his head to look up at Max, and scoff at her, "What the fuck do you want me to say, Max? I don't want to be in love with Liz anymore than you wanted to start this fucking war- but here we are."

Growling in frustrated anger, Max marched passed him, pushed by a tall, muscular X5 male and stomped her way out the door. Half the bar was pretending not to have heard Alec and Max talking and the other half were switching their eyes between the door and Alec.

When the Maker's Mark bottle hit the bar, Alec snatched it up, dropped a thirty for the bartender, and headed for the exit. He broke into a run once he was outside, enjoying the woozy, light feeling of moving so fast on his feet- blurring around street corners, over crates, and breezing down the alleyways. He came to an abrupt halt when he spotted the infirmary, and peeked in the doorway.

Looking inside, Alec noted the sight ahead of him with surprise as he lifted the liquor to his lips. Zack was sitting with Maria between his legs, arms around her, and he was just holding her. They seemed so peaceful. His heart ached and Alec chugged the bottle like a suckling baby, lowered it after he needed a deep lungful of air, and averted his eyes to the ground. He wanted that with Liz. He wanted to hold her and have her look at him the way Maria was staring up at Zack- with love.

Rubbing his forehead then his jaw, and up over his lips, Alec held his face for a moment, took a breath, and then dropped back into running stance- taking off like a bat out of hell. He made it up the steps to his place, in the door, and dropped on the bed. It smelled like Liz. It was covered in her scent, teasing him, taunting his anger, rousing his lust.

"Ar-ah!" Alec grunted loudly at his ceiling, turning to lie on his side and pitched the bottle across the room at his wall and watched it shatter into uncountable shards, the liquid running down the wall, and the sound deafening in the silence.

He collapsed back against his mattress; eyes closed, and thought of her. She had the sweetest smile, the prettiest eyes, the softest lips, and dark, dark hair. He wanted to bury his face in her neck, smell that shiny, silky hair, and hold her against him- bare chest to bare chest. They fit together perfect, it made his inner-animal preen with content, purring seductively to take her. And when she looked at him, he was Alec. He was everything she wanted him to be, and all the bad stuff wasn't there.

He was in love. Talk about a toss of the dice, him falling in love- again.

Hours passed with him just lying there on his bed, arm over his eyes, body tense. Then a knock pounded his door and despite the long minutes he let it go on, Alec had to get up and answer whoever was out of their mind enough to approach him.

Opening the door, it was Ash. Great.

"Hey, I heard that Liz took off. I just wanted to drop by and say I'm sorry," she greeted, her smile genuine even though her eyes were roaming over Alec's chest- at some point he had thrown off his shirt.

"Look, Ash, I'm not in the mood for company. Not to be harsh, but I got shit to do," Alec said, trying to hurry her out.

"Aw, come on, Alec, I'm just being a friend," she whispered, moving close to him when she reached the doorway which he hadn't budged from. She placed a hand on his left bicep and dug the tips of her nails into his arm lightly, teasingly as she had in the past.

"If I thought you were just here to be a friend I would let you stay a few, but we know that's not why you're here, Ash. So it's best you leave, now."

Pouting prettily, she tilted her head back and blinked coyly at him. He knew if it were a different time and Liz had never entered his life he would take her up on her offer, 'cause Ash was a sweet ride and a nice piece of eye candy, but that wasn't the case.

"I'm serious, Ash. Don't make me order you," he said, as he gently pulled her grip free of him.

"All right," Ash said with a sigh, her pout turning genuine as she crossed the threshold and moved into the hall. "She's a lucky girl, you know. But I'll be on the lookout in case things don't work out between you. I like you, Alec. You have a lot to offer."

"Thanks Ash, but, uh, Liz isn't just somebody to me. Things are…gonna work out," he said unconvincingly. Ash gave him a placating smile and retreated as Alec closed his door again and lay back down.

Another knock- this one booming- sounded at his door, and Alec jolted from his stupor, wishing he had another bottle to smash in his irritation. He vaulted from the mattress to his door and pulled it open. "What!"

Max stood at his door, pale and worried. Shit, Alec thought, not good.

"What is it, Maxie?" He asked while she shifted from one foot to the other.

"Liz is on TV. Alec, they have her up on a cross in the middle of downtown Seattle. They're gonna burn her alive. We have to go; I already sent a team ahead. Come on."

The alcohol mist cleared and his blood revved up. Every cell in his being roared to life and his chest swelled as he booked it down the stairs after Max. Her bike, one for him, along with Krit, Syl, Jondy, and Zack right outside the building doors waiting for them. Alec hopped on his and he started it as Max kicked up her kick stand and got ready to take off. In two rows of three, they sped sleekly down the Terminal City streets and burst out onto the pavement beyond the gate as twelve transgenics worked to quickly open and shut the main gate while maintaining perimeter. The sound of their engines as they rode was a loud announcement that they were on their way.

Alec felt ready to kill, his mind slipping into the assassination head space he used when he had been sent on missions. Flashing images of Liz seared his brain, and Alec tried to go faster even as his speedometer pushed passed the full limit of its speed capacity. The others were as verdant in their pursuit, tires burning up mile after mile and taking turn after turn following Max's lead as she navigated to wherever the hell they had Liz strung up.

The sound of a cheering crowd, screams, and fighting became louder and louder as Max steered them to the heart of the mess. People dodged out of their ways and cursed them with foul mouths. Some transgenics- the contingency sent on ahead of them- were interspersed with men and women who called them abominations and a band of armed humans blocked the circumference of Liz's pyre.

As they came upon the scene, Alec stared angrily up at Liz. She hung from a crude, wooden cross with her head hung forward. A cross was carved into her shirt and chest- blood dripping down her body and splattering the pile of rubbish that had been assembled. Some of it was already on fire, fanatics squirting gasoline at the flames and cheering as they rose higher and hotter- casting guilty shadows against the sides of the buildings nearest them. The flames rose and Liz merely hung there, unmoving and uncaring.

"Liz," Max cried out beside him, jumping from her still moving bike, over the crowd and taking out two of the circle guards in her attempt to reach Liz. The fire was too hot and too near to Max for her to clear it and the mobbing crowd grabbed hold of her too- but not long, soon she was fighting as fiercely as the team who arrived before them.

Jondy, Krit, and Syl were battling it out too. Zack was disposing of the people pouring gasoline on the open fire, trying to keep it from spreading and looking for a weakness in their line, or a break in the blistering heat.

"Liz," Alec called and her hands twitched, her wrists moving against the ropes that were knotted securely around her. "Liz." Another twitch. "Liz." Finally she looked up.

Her eyes scanned the crowd and when they connected with his, Alec pressed onward with his bike, no longer pushing at people to keep them away from him, but gunning them down with the intimidating rev of the bike. Someone jumped in front of him, sure he would stop him, but Alec hit him full on, and didn't wince once when the man rebound off the front the bike and to the side into the brawling masses.

"Liz." She began to fight against the ropes binding her and cough through the black, thick smoke that was billowing up around her. "Fight harder, Liz," he shouted, making steady progress to the circle's perimeter.

Suddenly, her skin was glowing, turning translucent, her veins standing out brightly, those dark luminous eyes of hers darker and the pupils gone. Her hair seemed to pick up from her shoulders, lifting lightly around her as the air crackled and the fire grew impossibly higher. Alec watched as people were flung back as the fire exploded outward at them, waving over the crowd as the transgenics blurred to hit the ground.

Still Alec rode toward her, the fury of her attack about to bath him in an incendiary inferno when he pulled up on the handlebars, his back wheel kicking up and using a fallen body as leverage as he hefted the bike into midair, over the lapping flames, and into the empty circle of rubbish surrounding a glowing, floating Liz. Her palms were white and faced out at her sides- the ropes dust in the wind- and her fatigues burned away.

"Enough, Liz, enough," Alec shouted- calling to her over the sound of rushing wind, roaring fire, and human screams. Like a light going off, Liz fell into his arms, the waving fire extinguished, and her skin reverting back to normal. Wasting no time, Alec jerked off the jacket he had grabbed to cover his upper body and put it on her, zipping her into it and tugging her against his hard, sweaty chest. He revved the engine of the bike, now smoking and the rubber of the tires not altogether stable, before driving off the pile of trash and making a jagged, zig-zaging path through the chaos.

The sound of other bikes coming to life and following them through downtown Seattle arrested Alec's ears, and his heartbeat began to slow. His body was in frenzy from the adrenaline high and the image of Liz hung from that sacrificial pyre. He clutched at her shivering body and felt her wrap her arms around his middle.

"Shhh, it's okay baby," he said over the rush of wind and pressed a kiss to her head without taking his eyes off the road.

His chest felt the moist drops of her tears splattering over his chest and he grit his teeth. As soon as they were at the gate it opened and he drove in and straight to the infirmary. Coming to a jerky stop, Alec carried Liz bridal style inside and gently placed her on a cot.

"I need some help," Alec said to the nearest transgenic, little Michael. The kid took off with fear in his eyes and came back seconds later with a trained medic.

"I need to examine her," the medic said and Alec stood to the side, holding her hand.

"I need you to back away and let me have a thorough look."

Getting in his face, Alec sneered, "Just fix it."

"I will once you step aside and let me have a look," rejoined the medic, the male X6 not backing down as he pointed to an empty cot a few beds away.

Grabbing him up by his shirt front- much as he had Sketchy- Alec growled in the transgenics face as more medically trained Xs came over to help, "If anything happens to her, I'm coming for you."

With one last glance at Liz, her eyes now closed and her body still, Alec went to the cot nearby and plopped down on it, watching as they cut Liz open and her heart flat-lined as they hooked her up to the monitor.

_**Author's Note:**_ I'm glad to see everyone has been enjoying Where Loyalty Lies, I really enjoy reading the reviews. I hope you enjoyed this last chapter. Let me know what you think, EK!


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

_It was dark and cold, Liz couldn't see anything. She heard muffled voices and someone screaming her name. She felt the pain in her body, throbbing in time with each passing second. Where was Alec? She remembered him holding her against his warm body. Maybe that had been a dream. _

_"Liz?" _

_Still she couldn't see anything, but Liz heard that voice clearly. She tried to get into fighting stance, but her muscles weren't responding. _

_"Liz." That same voice called to her again. _

_"Whose there? Answer," Liz shouted hoarsely into the oblivion. Was she blind? How had that happened?_

_"Liz, it's me. Kyle." _

_Trying as hard as she could to widen her eyes and see, Liz admitted she couldn't even feel if her eyes were open. _

_"Kyle's dead." _

_"I know I am." _

_Chills raced along her spine and Liz attempted to raise her arm, swing out at whoever was there. _

_"You can't hit me, Liz. You can't even see me." It did sound like Kyle. Liz felt like he was there. But that would mean she was dead too, which wasn't true. _

_"No, you aren't dead, Liz. Not yet. You can't see me because I'm not where you are." _

_"Stop talking in riddles!" Liz screamed. She hated this feeling of immobility, of nonexistence. _

_That laugh that was so Kyle filtered into the darkness and Liz felt a hysteria overwhelming her. _

_"I'm dead, Liz. I'm where people go when they die. I can talk to you because you're somewhere in between. You are lost. Get it now?" He asked, his tone condescending in his joking way. _

_Liz didn't know how to respond to that, so she didn't. She stared into the nothingness and the distant murmurs faded in and out. _

_"Ignoring me now? Real mature, Liz. I came all this way just to help you and I get the silent treatment?" _

_"I don't know what you want me to say," Liz returned. She kept having flashes of when she pulled the plug on Kyle and the Sheriff. Why would he be there to help her?_

_"Because I care about you, Liz. You did what you had to. My dad and I were lost like you are now, and you came to set us free," Kyle said. He kept answering her thoughts. _

_"Is that what you're here to do? Set me free?" _

_"No. I'm not here so you can die, Liz; I'm here to tell you it is okay to live. It is okay be happy. When you left Roswell, you stopped living. Don't you see you have a new life now?" Kyle told her, his tone more serious than she could ever remember him being. _

_She did have a new start now. Liz had Alec and Max, Zack and Maria and the baby, even little Michael, and her old unit- but she wasn't good for them. Even the humans could see it. _

_"People hate what they don't understand. You know that, Liz. You never let that stop you. You didn't let it stop you when you found out who Max, Michael, and Isabel were; or when Tess rolled into town. I know you, Liz, and you can't just stop caring." _

_Not true, Liz thought. She had turned off her emotions for a long time when she left Manticore, and then again when she left Roswell- she could bury it and let the animal inside turn her cold. _

_"Yes I can," she whispered into dark. A painful jolt shot through her chest and Liz gasped out. _

_"They're calling you back, Liz. You still have so much you can do. The Liz Parker I knew was made of braver stuff. And I loved that about you, Liz," Kyle called out. Another jolt wracked her chest and zipped down her spine. _

_"How can you forgive me when I'm the reason White came to Roswell. I'm the reason your dead; the reason your dad is dead, and my parents," Liz cried out, voice rough. _

_"It's over, Liz. White's dead too, and he's the one that killed me, not you. He didn't have to kill anyone. If you keep letting other people's mistakes be your fault, you'll never be happy. For Buddha's sake, Liz, that's not what we want." _

_"Buddha, huh? So is he the one really running the universe?" Liz asked, smiling at her memories of him quoting Buddha. _

_"There's got to be somebody in charge. I just like to call him Buddha," Kyle said with a laugh, and Liz would have cried if she could. _

_Warmth began to fill her and Kyle's voice faded slowly in the distance. Liz didn't want him to go yet, she didn't want to stop talking. _

_"We'll see each other again, Liz. But live okay. 'Cause a lot of people need your help. Say hi to King Max for me." _

_"I love you, Kyle. I'm sorry." Liz said, feeling weightless as the aches inside started to ease. _

_"I love you too, Liz; and I forgive you." _

Colors and light swam in front of her eyes, blurring her vision, and Liz could now clearly hear the voices around her. Hands were pressed warmly against her chest with a familiar touch radiating throughout her body.

"Liz," she heard and her eyes began to clear. The sound of Maria wailing in the background caused her heart to jolt in her chest.

"Alec," she whispered.

The hands on her chest were removed and someone shifted near her.

"I'm here, Liz. Can you hear me?" Alec said, his voice so concerned the warmth kept spreading.

In that moment, her eyes cleared and she saw his face looming above her. Worry lines were etched in her forehead, and his face hovered close to hers. She leaned up and kissed him, pulling him by his neck with her bloodied hands to strain against him. His arms encircled her, and she sobbed against his mouth.

She pulled back and buried her head in the juncture of his shoulder and neck while sobbing in deep breaths. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Liz. Are you okay? Does it still hurt?" he said back in a strong, loud voice.

"I'm okay. I found you, I'm okay."

"Liz," said a soft, male voice from behind Alec.

Alec kissed her head, hands molding to her back, and then slowly released, stepping back for the person behind him to come forward. It was Max, Michael beside him, and Isabel holding a crying Maria.

"You came back," she said, lips mouthing the words as the sound barely escaped her. King Max, she thought, that's what Kyle meant.

"We came back," he replied, staring at her in that way that used to sear her through and through; but the very real strength of Alec's hand in hers as he stood tall to her left made it powerless.

"Liz, thank God," Maria shouted, trying to get up and succeeding as Isabel and Zack heaved her forward. As she collapsed on Liz's cot, Max stepped aside for her. Liz accepted Maria's hug, still in shock, and rubbed Maria's long blond hair while staring blankly as three of the four square joined in a line at the foot of her bed. They were back.

"Where's Max?" Liz asked Alec over Maria's shoulder.

"She left for Command when they-" Alec paused and Liz met his eyes straight on, "-when they started to harvest your blood. You were dead, Liz."

Turning to the nearest medic X, Liz saw that his eyes were downcast, and just behind him, little Michael stood staring at her.

"Hey," she said to him. The medic X moved out of his way and little Michael came forward. "You can you do me a favor soldier?"

He nodded his head, mute.

"Go tell Max I'm okay; tell her to come to the infirmary?" Liz asked.

He nodded and Liz saluted him and he returned it. When she broke salute, he broke out of his daze and leaned in to give her a quick hug- arms overlapping Maria- and then blurred off before she could respond.

"Who was that?" Michael asked from his place beside Isabel.

"That was Michael, a transgenic," Liz told him. Michael's eyebrows rose up for a brief moment, and then he shot a look to Max who was standing with his arms folded over his chest. They were all wearing dark robes with the Antarian symbol over the left breast.

"No questions what a transgenic is?" Alec barked, his face unwelcome to questions.

"I'll explain it to them later," Max said to Alec, both men facing off with equally hostile stares.

"Testosterone check, please. Liz just came back from the dead here," Maria inserted. "Which by the way, how is that possible? I thought you couldn't heal the dead Max."

"He couldn't before," Isabel said, jumping in for the first time. "But he's the king now. His powers are tenfold. All of our powers are."

"I guess Antar was good for you," said Liz, meeting each of their eyes.

"Adia," exclaimed Max, bursting in with her hair swept up behind her. She looked stunned at seeing strangers in the city, but she blurred to Liz's side regardless and stood to the right. When Maria leaned back from Liz, Max took up in her stead.

"I'm sorry I ran," Liz apologized, hugging Max in return.

"We cool. Just, try not to run off and almost get kill next time we have a fight, 'k?"

They shared a laugh and Max pulled back, her big brown eyes full of light catching tears.

"We're sisters." Liz stated. Somehow admitting it aloud caused her hard shell of anger to crack and Liz struggled with her own tears.

Remembering the audience they had, Max gave a hard glare to the medics around them and Alec started to give orders to available Xs to take up perimeter security.

"Max, these are my friends from Roswell. Max, Michael, and Isabel. Max saved my life," Liz told her sister, watching as Max stood and assessed each of them.

"How'd you get here?" Max asked Michael, the nearest one to her.

"We light-ported. It's an intergalactic means of travel. I'm captain of the guard in the Antarian army. This is Isabel, princess of Antar, and Maxwell Evans, king of Antar," Michael stated, crossing both arms over his chest, fists clenched and pressed against opposite shoulders while his head bowed in a single nod.

"Antar?" Max asked Liz, glancing down at her sister.

"The aliens I told you about," Liz said, watching as Zack brought Maria baby Jillian.

"Is that," Michael asked, not finishing his thought as the Maria looked up into his eyes, her arms full of their daughter. Maria nodded at him and Michael looked up at the ceiling, then down at Maria again.

"Her name is Jillian Michelle Guerin," Maria told him, her eyes only on him. It took as long as Maria finishing her name and no longer before Michael was down on his knees in front of her, staring with an outstretched hand toward the baby.

"Can I?" he asked, touching the soft, smooth skin of his daughter's head.

"Just support her head and put your arms like mine," she whispered.

In the background, Liz watched as Zack slipped from the tent and Alec met Liz's eyes when she tilted her head in his direction. Sighing noiselessly, Alec gave a slight nod and took off out of the infirmary. Isabel and her sister Max were off to the side talking, and King Max came 'round to her right as Michael took hold of Jillian.

"Hi," Max said in his shy boy voice. It was like no time at all had passed since high school- but so much had changed.

"Hi."

"Tess is dead," he told her. Her eyes drifted to the side as that piece of information filtered in and the beast inside her roared with triumph as the human went numb. "She killed Alex, Liz. She had the baby and when I named him Zan Alexander Evans, she told me. I'm so sorry. So sorry I didn't believe you about her, and that I left you here alone, and about Kyle and your parents and the sheriff. I'm so sorry, Liz." He was kneeling now on the ground, head on the cot not quite touching her legs, and tears were streaming from his eyes.

Her hand rose up to rub his head, his hair longer than when she had last seen him, and she said "it's okay" over and over again as his hands came up to clutch her waist. And it was okay. Kyle had made it okay. He helped her find her way back to Liz Parker, and even though she reveled in Tess's punishment, she mourned for Max because he was clearly not okay.

"I was gone, lost, until you saved me, Max. When you and the others left Roswell and White came, I lost myself. Alec and Maria and my sister, Max have been helping me find my way, but I've been lost. Kyle came to me, Max, when I was…dead. He said he forgives me and," she let out a laugh, "he told me to say hi to King Max for him. It's okay now, Max."

Max wiped at his tears and look up into her eyes and she felt that old spark. Without a thought his lips came up to hover near hers, but Liz shook her head and he pulled back.

"But if it's okay now-" he started to say, but stopped when Liz shook her head again.

"I'm with Alec. I love him. I mean that it's okay to let go of the past now, Max. You're a king and I'm a transgenic. We have different destinies."

"I don't care about destiny anymore, Liz. Destiny was wrong. Tess and I-"

"Had a baby together. That's a destiny. And you love him, right? Maybe that was why you two had to be together. So Zan could be born. My sister and I are going to save America from a disease, maybe that's what I was born. Whatever; for whatever reason things happened this way, they did. Thank you for saving my life," Liz said, leaning up to kiss his cheek. His eyes slid shut for a moment, and then he nodded.

"We came back because Michael wanted to see his baby, my niece. And I'm not leaving until we help you and the people here find a way to live safe lives. My Antarian forces are coming down- they'll be taking up camp in Montana, Colorado, and here. We haven't forgotten you, or your loyalty to us."

"Hey Max," she said, glancing at Michael and Isabel then back at him, "I missed you."

"Me too, Liz."

Pushing up from the cot and pulling on a t-shirt that little Michael had retrieved from one of the medics, she stood up. Her sister and Isabel noticed and came over.

"Where do you think you're going?" Max asked, her lips bowed down in a frown.

"I have to go find Alec. He went after Zack," Liz explained.

"No way. You have to rest," Max ordered her, taking charge again.

"Yeah Liz, you should relax," Isabel chimed in smiling at her.

"King Max does good work. I'm fine. But I have to go do this," Liz told them.

"Maybe they're right, Liz," Michael said, his face split in a wide smile as baby Jillian made noises at Maria who was cooing to her in baby talk.

"I'll be back. Promise," Liz told them and with one more glance at all the people from her past and present, Liz went out into Terminal City streets in search of the one she loved.

_**Author's Note:**_ I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I enjoyed reading them. I hope this chapter was enjoyable. There are only a few chapters left before Where Loyalty Lies comes to an end. Max and the aliens are back and the virus is on the rise. I hope to update again soon, but my mother recently had a quadruple bypass and my home life is taking presidence over most of my spare time. Let me know what you think, EK!


	23. Chapter TwentyThree

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

A block ahead of him, Alec watched as Zack ducked into the bar, and again he couldn't believe that he was out chasing down a love-struck jealous transgenic who he could barely stand half the time. But Liz wanted him to and he was so damned grateful for the fact she was alive again, he'd have done whatever she said in that moment.

Following after Zack, Alec opened the door to the bar and on instinct ducked as something whizzed past his head and into the alley behind him. Nostrils flaring and teeth gritted, Alec jumped up and over the nearest pool table as the next dart thudded into the floor where he had just been. Sneering at a group of three transgenics as they cheered at the prospect of a fight, Alec snagged a pool cue from the table top and ducked below.

Coming out in a lightening move, Alec swung the wooden cue up and to the right- striking Zack across the jaw and dodging another dart as it stuck in the side of the table he had come from under.

"Dude, dial it down a notch. I'm not here to fight. I just want a drink," Alec said, relaxing his stance and walking casually toward the bar. He took a seat on one of the stool and asked the cute X6 behind the counter if she could fetch him a bottle of Jack and two shot glasses.

A horrible scrapping sound rend the air and Zack plopped down beside him as Alec poured two shots from the half empty bottle of Jack the bartender had placed on the counter. Se was an efficient little thing.

"I know Liz sent you," Zack muttered angrily, eyes glaring holes in the bar as he sat stiffly with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Look buddy, I been where you are, and it sucks. In fact, I think this is my seat from the other night I was here trying to figure out my own woman issues," Alec told him, swallowing his shot and pushing Zack's in front of him.

"I don't need to talk about it, and I'm not having woman issues," Zack said heatedly, fists clenched.

"You're full of shit. Maria's a pretty little number. Spitfire attitude too- she can yell or talk your ear off. And you got it for her just like she has it for you," Alec told Zack and he shot back another one before taking a deep breath as the Jack burned down his throat and shot lances of warmth in his stomach.

"What does my sister see in you?" Zack asked in disgust, finally turning his eyes to look at Alec who gave him a side glance and a raised eyebrow.

"Sex on legs," Alec replied smirking.

Glaring more intensely, Zack reached for the pool cue Alec has set against the bar.

"Cool it Sparky and take a drink," Alec said, rolling his eyes and kicking the pool cue across the bar with his booted foot.

Giving in, Zack took his shot and made a disgusted face. "Get me a beer," he told the bartender, and Alec shook his head- some guys just couldn't take the hard stuff.

"What makes you an expert on women," Zack asked.

Alec shrugged and thought of all the transgenics and humans he had encountered, and a satisfied smile came to his face. "Just know a lot of them."

"So I'm supposed to take your advice because you were a whore before you met Liz?" Zack rejoined, smiling into his mug of beer.

"Hey you don't want to talk, fine by me. I'm enjoying my Jack and I'd rather keep it that way," Alec told him, and he took another shot.

"Why do you want to be nice to me?" Zack questioned, face stony.

"I don't know. Why did I bother chasing Liz when she didn't want me around? I guess I'm just a people person," Alec joked, remembering the night Liz had chased after him out of the bar.

"Isn't she lucky," Zack whispered, scoffing sarcastically.

"Wrong. I'm lucky. I'm lucky 'cause everyday for the rest of my life I'm going to make sure she's with me. I'm going wake up to her beautiful face and her gorgeous body and all her smarts, and I'm going to be lucky. You gonna have that? You gonna be able to say you got somebody? 'Cause I don't think I've met anyone like Maria Deluca in my life, and I doubt she's going to sit around waiting for you to get things right." Alec took a long drag straight from the bottle while Zack drowned his disgruntled comments in his beer.

"She doesn't need me. She's got him now. Michael," Zack said stoically face straight like a soldier's.

"How long is he going to stick around? Do you know? 'Cause if he's an alien, I'm sure he's got some home planet to beam off to."

"Aren't you a little suspicious of their sudden arrival? One minute Liz is dead, the next her ex-boyfriend turned alien king appears to save the day. What about that?"

Alec's mouth tightened up and he tried not to haul off and knock Zack off his stool. He was trying very hard not to think of Liz and King Jackass getting cozy in the infirmary while he played big brother to an insecure asshole.

"I trust Liz," Alec managed after another biting swallow from the dwindling bottle. Good thing the bar had a decent supply.

"Trust? That's what's going to stop her from running off with a guy she used to love? Come on, you've heard the rumors about Liz's past just like I have. Terminal City isn't that big a place," Zack replied. He was still nursing his first beer.

Taking another pull of alcohol, Alec hefted the shot glass and threw it against the far wall behind the bar, satisfied when it crashed and exploded noisily.

"Cut the shit, Zack. You're a soldier and you're an animal. Now are you an alpha or a beta? Because Maria isn't going to just sit around waiting for you to make a move," said Alec. Maybe that could be true of Liz too, Alec thought, but he stomped down the rage that thought spread and shook it off.

"They have a baby together. What am I going to do or say that's going to make that not matter?" Zack finally broke, throwing his own mug across the bar and against the same spot Alec had shattered his shot glass and watched as beer and glass hit the wall.

"Hey! You guys either need to stop breaking shit or get the fuck out of the bar. I'm not going to tell you twice," shouted the busty brunette bartender.

Zack glanced at Alec and Alec stared back at him and Zack let out a laugh. Alec stared at him for a moment as Zack kept laughing, and then suddenly he couldn't help but laugh too. But once it happened they both couldn't stop, their stomachs aching with the intensity of their laughter- their sides bunching up in stitches as they fought for air. Alec felt the alcohol kicking in, his face turning red, and his breathing wheezed out as he struggled to contain the laughing.

They stopped a minute later and Alec was clutching the bar while Zack clung to his stool for support.

"I guess I should get back to the infirmary," Zack said, standing up once he had gained control of himself. He left some money on the counter for the bartender- a nice gesture considering how strapped for cash everyone was.

"Yeah," Alec said, taking another quick pull from the bottle and standing up.

"Thanks man. I guess my sister could have done worse," Zack said, and Alec nodded at him, earlier anger forgotten.

Light spilled in from the bar entrance door, and Alec watched as Liz walked in. The few transgenics frequenting the bar stopped talking and watched as she entered. Her hair was stringy and blood crusted, her clothes were shredded almost to bits, singe-marks surrounded her exposed stomach, knees, and ankles, and her face was smudged with ash from the fire. But her skin had a glowing quality to it, luminescent and pure. Her eyes were a light hazel in the door light, and Alec moved to join her where she stood staring at him.

"I'm glad you're okay, Liz," Zack said, passing through the door and stopping on the outside to hug her warmly while one of her hands twined with Alec's fingers, warming them.

"Me too. Maria's in the infirmary with Jillian and little Michael. She might need your help getting around, but Max has arranged for her to move into an apartment in Alec's building," Liz explained.

Alec pressed flush against her side, his inner-beast demanding her touch. He controlled the urge to sweep her up into his arms, and waited for Zack to retreat.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asked first.

"I came to get you. I want to go home. Can we go to the apartment," Liz asked, her body resting more heavily against his.

The fact that Liz wanted to go to his apartment and that she had called it home made his chest fit to burst with pride. He could provide for her, take care of her, and Alec held the door open for her as they walked out into the cooling night air.

"I saw my friend when I was…out," Liz told him and Alec loved the sound of her voice. It was so nice to hear after that horrible sound the heart monitor made as she flat-lined.

"Which friend?"

"Kyle. I dated him once, but he was like a brother to me, and I realized that after I met Max. But he died because of White-" she was talking in a whisper, but Alec heard her and he held her arm and hand more tightly. "He told me to move on and that I can be happy."

"Good advice. I'm all for a happy Liz."

"So you think we can have that? We can be happy?" Liz asked.

"I'm happy right now, with you here beside me."

She became quiet beside him and Alec glanced from the line of brick buildings ahead of them down to her where her head was tucked into his side and her arm crossed his stomach to wrap warmly around his waist.

"I'm happy every time I see you, Liz, for no apparent reason. You've had me tied up in knots since the moment I met you," he said, voice dropping down seductively and Alec felt a rush of heat and his erection growing in his dirty fatigues.

"Why do you love me?" Liz murmured back and Alec pulled them to a stop outside his building.

"Why do you breathe?" Alec rejoined. "Because I need to. I couldn't breathe when you died Liz. Have you ever been so numb inside your can't breathe? Never do that again. Never just leave." He went from happy to angry and Alec was trying to curb it, but it had slipped into his tone and she was finally looking up at him- annoyed.

"I was upset okay? I was pissed off that Max kept something as big as our being sisters to herself all this time. And I don't have to answer to anyone," she said, her face scrunching in anger.

"No, wrong. You do have to answer to someone. You aren't running anymore and it isn't just you and Maria. I love you and Liz, if you love me, that has to mean something to you. I saw you strung up on TV and I knew what they were going to do to you, Liz. Do you get that? I was going to watch you die, and I might not have made it," he growled throat roaring with the sound as it vibrated in the air and bounced echoing down the street.

"I'm sorry!" she shouted, crossing her arms and turning from him, but Alec refused to let that be the last word. He grabbed her from behind, holding her in an unbreakable hold against his chest, and snarled in her ear.

"I love you," he breathed into her ear. "And I'm not letting you go, Liz. Not to run away, not to die, not for anything. So get used to it, and just be happy. Just let it happen- let yourself be happy. Because I want you like I've never wanted anything else, and I fight for what's important. That's not gonna change, ever."

Alec heard her sniffle and felt her turn her face to the side, pressing it against his chest in their awkward hold. His heart beat faster beneath her ear on his chest, and something inside of him reared up excitedly.

"Okay. I'm sorry. I love you and I won't do it again. I didn't mean to scare you," she whispered, tears slipping over her cheeks and wetting his shirt.

Turning her in his arms, Alec held her close and breathed in her scent, kissing her head, her cheek, her eyes and nose, and stopping to rest against her lips as thunder cracked in the distance and lamp lights flickered nearby as rain drizzled down from the dark sky churning overhead.

Liz kissed him back and Alec groaned into it, mouth eclipsing hers in its voracious hunger, tongue coming out to wet Liz's lips as she gasped, tilting her head back.

"I'm yours," Liz exclaimed as Alec pinned her beneath the light in the wall near the entrance, his thigh slipping between hers, spreading them wide, and hoisting her up against him.

"Mine," he grunted, pulling her shirt up and over her head, trailing kisses down her neck even as rain began to drum harder on the asphalt.

Liz divested him of his shirt with a rip from behind and smooth fingertips traced his back muscles as he flexed, straining into the press of her soft, curvy chest. Her shirt came off with a quick pull- the last threads holding it in place breaking, and her hot, creamy skin pressed against his hard chest, and her skin chilled where the rain pelted her. He ran his fingers over her arms, and rested at her waist where they toyed with the belt holding her pants in place.

When Liz moved her legs up to wrap firmly around his waist, Alec thrust his pant clad erection to her core, and Liz's huffs puffed against his right ear, her tongue tracing the shell and inflaming him. He tore at her belt and lowered his pants below his aching cock. Liz's hand came up between them, engulfing his shaft and rubbed at it with just the right pressure to make his knees weak and his arms tighten.

"Touch me," she cried out, leaning her head back to the wall for support, rain slipping enticingly over her nipples, perky and tan.

Without a moment's hesitation, he brought a hand up between her thighs, and between her lips to her core, and thrust a finger into her warmth. Moisture had already gathered in her excitement, and Alec felt his eyes rolling up as she teased the rim of his cock, the head sensitive and wanting.

Not trusting his control, Alec stopped her hand, bringing it up over his shoulder, and used both hands to lift her up and align his body with hers before thrusting up into pleasure. A thrill surged through him, from tip to toe, as Liz's muscles pulled him into her body. Her sheath quivered around his cock and Alec picked up a frenzied pace as Liz cried out in ecstasy, her voice lost on the wind and rain beating at them, creating an inky darkness around them.

"So tight and good," Alec told her, and Liz nodded into his chest, her small frame arching into his and her hips thrust to meet his, beating skin to skin in a familiar rhythm. The sound of their coupling was clear as the smacking of skin to skin and heavy breaths puffed loudly. Her body was so soft, it fit perfectly in his arms.

"Harder, I want it more," Liz demanded and she dug her nails into his sides, pressing herself harder into the brick building and using her leverage to hoist herself up and down, his cock throbbing and threatening to spill.

Renewed vigor came to him as Alec slammed her harshly into the wall, rational concerns gone, and his beast calling for more. Pumping deeper and with bone splintering power, Alec plunged as deeply as he could into Liz and held her, biting her shoulder and pulling back to double his speed- his free hand not supporting their weight slipping between their slick bodies to massage Liz's clitoris, her nerves causing a fluttering in her womb, and Alec exploded inside of her, throwing his head back in a howl of triumph and satisfaction as his seed spilled, Liz's spasms driving his pleasure higher.

Thunder rumbled louder and shook the ground, a streak of lightening crackling in the distance, lighting up the street and casting the couple's shadow across the building front.

Heart pounding in his ears, Alec pulled Liz to his chest, and her body fell against him as her breaths tickled his left shoulder and her cool cheek met his flushed chest.

Catching his breath, Alec leaned his left cheek against her head.

"Couldn't wait till be got inside?" Alec teased, as he held her content to let the rain pour over them.

"I wasn't the only one in a rush," Liz mumbled and then yawned.

"Rain sex, hot," Alec replied. Liz slapped his chest hard and the quick sting of it sent goose bumps down his arms.

"You think all sex is hot."

Chuckling, Alec nodded and Liz shifted in his arms. He met her eyes when she looked up into his, and brought a hand up to smooth back her hair and hold the back of her head as he leaned in to kiss her lips, eyes closing against the rain. It was soft and tender and then it was over, and Alec held her to him as he carried Liz inside- leaving their torn clothes behind on the ground.

"I'm glad Maria hasn't moved in yet. I couldn't imagine her seeing us coming down the hall naked," Liz mumbled, another yawn escaping.

"Did I tire you out already?" Alec teased, cupping her butt with both hands as he climbed the stairs.

"No," Liz said stubbornly, but Alec could tell she was biting back another yawn.

He maneuvered them into the apartment and kicked the door shut behind them. He crossed the distance between the door, the kitchen, his bed, and to the bathroom in a blur, and placed Liz on the counter as he turned the water on warm.

"What are you doing?" she asked, leaning her head back against the mirror, legs spread, and Alec wanted to take her again.

"You need a bath, and then I'm taking you to bed."

"Sounds great. I want to be on top this time," Liz whispered, eyes drooping to half mast.

Fighting back the feel of his cock growing as the water filled the tub; Alec poured some soapy bubble bath into the water. Getting luxuries like bubble bath after the pulse was like getting pre-pulse alcohol- damned near impossible. Expect for Alec.

Gathering a dozing Liz in his arms, Alec stepped into the bath and seated himself as the water sloshed up around him in waves and the wet heat of it began to warm their chilled skin and wash away the rain water as foaming bubbles clung to the lip of the tub and teased Alec's chest as Liz woke enough to move into a more comfortable position.

"It smells pretty," Liz said, her hand playing with the suds as Alec searched for the empty peanut butter jar he used as a bucket. He found it beside the tub and dunked it in the water, using it to pour a waterfall over Liz's head. She squealed in his arms and Alec fought the feeling of her rubbing against his growing erection.

"You look good all wet," Alec said, hand slipping down her front as her back leaned into his chest.

"So do you," Liz told him over her shoulder. He took his time washing them both in the steamy water. "This feels good."

It sure did and Alec fought himself to finish up washing them as quickly as possible and hoist Liz out of the tub. She accepted the towel he pulled from under the sink, and Liz commented on how nice it was to have a hot bath. It was nice, and Alec knew that he wouldn't be able to do it again for a least two weeks- water might flow in Terminal City, but Max had her ways of making sure they had so much hot water per apartment during the month. Mole had the whole thing wired on generators.

Alec gave Liz one of his shirts and he threw on a pair of pants and slipped into bed, pulling her down beside him.

"I thought we were going to-"

"Not tonight, Liz. You need sleep." Alec told her as she straddled him and kissed his neck. "Liz."

"Mhm," she murmured, slipping down his body, the covers pulling down with her as she kissed a trail down his chest and abdomen to his hips. She nipped at his right hip and played with the zipper on his pants, and Alec's cock tented under the material.

"You should rest," he tried again, grabbing her shoulders to stop her, but she looked up at him and he almost died when she lowered her head to his zipper and yanked it down several inches with her teeth while her arms were held captive.

"I want you," she told him and Alec fought the boil of desire and want. "Let me have you."

Giving up, Alec let her go and watched as Liz stretched her body up, sitting on his thighs, and pulled his shirt over her head. Her beautiful breasts stretched with her and Alec leaned up to take a nipple in his mouth, loving Liz's gasp and biting lightly as the nipple hardened. A hand undid his pants and Alec laved his tongue over her areola when Liz gripped his shaft and tugged it from his jeans.

"Bite it harder," Liz demanded, and Alec did as she said. Her back arched and her hips thrust in an upward sweep that brushed her hot, wet opening against his fully erect shaft. He wanted her to push down and taken him into her tight body, muscles clenching.

Sucking harder on her breast, Alec lifted her enough to kick off his pants and settle her just above his cock, waiting for her to take over. She did not disappoint. Alec groaned into her breast, face turning to the side as Liz sat down on him, taking his cock into her, his erection thrusting up to slam home deep inside her. Liz stilled and Alec kissed up to her shoulder and down her upper-arm, stopping at the elbow to nip at the bend where a vein pulsed.

Liz pushed him back into the mattress, her hands remaining on his chest for leverage as she pumped up and down on him, muscles squeezing and milking him, making him grow harder as she grew wetter, and the thudding sound of their bodies meeting was loud in the apartment. Alec's legs were tense with the rush of need. Soon Liz sped up, her knees straining harder against the bed while she cried out to the ceiling, moaning, and rotating her hips. She began to quake above him and her voice quaver as she called "Alec!" and came around him quivering.

She fell forward against his body, and Alec took the opportunity to grip her hips and hold her in place, his took over the rhythm and pumped into her, the need to come burning inside him as his balls tightened and his body became charged.

"Look at me baby," he ordered, and Liz leaned up as her body shivered.

When their eyes met and her mouth opened wordlessly, he came inside her. His orgasm ripped through him and his muscles tightened as surge after surge of sating lust tore through him. Liz called his name in his ears and he whispered hers as her fists slammed against the mattress and her second orgasm came over her in waves, clenching and releasing around him, holding his cock inside her.

"Don't move baby," he told her, the angle perfect as he could see them joined and her deep eyes.

They stayed like that as Alec's breathing began to calm itself, and he pulled Liz down against him, kissing her cheek, and rubbing his face into her hair. He pulled out of her and tucked her into his side.

"Love you," she whispered, a yawn following.

"I love you, Liz," Alec said back, and he closed his eyes to sleep.


	24. Chapter TwentyFour

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Liz heard knocking- more like pounding- on Alec's apartment door; and she yawned as she stretched luxuriously against Alec's hard body. He was warm and silent beside her on his mattress. The blanket covering them has twisted around his legs and only a corner flap covered Liz's upper-body. Shoving off, she stood and snatched up Alec's shirt as she made her way to the door.

"Stop knocking!" Liz said through the door and the incessant noise cut off.

Glancing over her shoulder to see Alec sitting up, Liz sighed and pulled open the door.

Zack and Maria stood in the door way, Jillian bundled up in Maria's arms.

"It's kind of early for a visit, Maria," Liz chastised. No light had been streaming in from the windows which meant the sun hadn't even peaked the horizon.

Shouldering in front of Maria with a serious face, Zack took the lead, "This isn't a social call, Liz. You and Alec need to get dressed and hurry down to Command. Sandeman has spent all night working on an antigen for the virus spreading which is spreading by the hour. We're going in for talks with political leaders in downtown Seattle. We need every soldier up and ready by 0400."

"How is it even possible for Sandeman to have created the virus that fast? I know biology, it should take weeks at the least," Liz asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She could hear Alec zipping up his pants and the sound of a door opening and closing behind her, but she tried to stay in the here and now.

Maria was looking up at Zack with wide eyes as she shooshed baby Jillian, bouncing her up and down against her chest as she fussed.

"He's been working on Max's blood since we found out about the virus. Your blood completed his original formula. We haven't tested it yet, but Max is trying to arrange a peace conference. It seems like a waste of time, but she won't listen to me," Zack said, and Liz read the frustration on his face. He was used to being the CO in charge and Liz knew he hated taking a backseat- some things never change.

"Maria, you need to bunk down and stay safe. If we end up leaving Terminal City, you won't be guarded out in the open. Krit and Syl live in a building two blocks over. Zack, if they aren't coming with us, I want you to leave Maria and the baby with them. Alec and I will be ready," Liz ordered.

As she went to close the door, Maria's fingers reached out and wrapped around her arm. Liz knew what she was going to say, about the danger, but now wasn't the time. Breaking her hold, Liz stepped back and snapped the door shut.

"We'll talk about this later, Liz! I'm not going to forget," Maria shouted through the door as Liz padded across the floor barefoot to where Alec was securing his belt and sheathing a number of concealed weapons. Liz took in the weaponry and the seriousness awash over his face, and licked her lips. It was sexy when a man was armed.

"I don't have any fatigues here," Liz murmured, glancing around for something.

"There should be a pair in your size in the bathroom. I meant to give them to you last night, but…" Alec looked up as his sentence trailed and a smirk was fixed on his face.

"Don't be sexy right now, I need to think. Not jump your bones," Liz teased and it felt good. It felt good to be normal again, for just a moment. To pretend like their worlds weren't about to fly apart, and that their relationship came first. But it couldn't. Not after they left the apartment, not when they got to Command and faced Max and dealt with Lydecker, not after the aliens found out what was going on. But right then, it felt good.

"Can I be sexy later? Or do you want to take turns," Alec said, wagging his brow up and down and Liz let out an honest-to-God giggle. It was high pitched and girly and so Liz Parker- Liz thought to herself, smiling as she raced passed Alec and into the bathroom.

In the cramped space, Liz managed to tug on the fresh clothes and braid back her hair, tying it off with a plain rubber band that had been twisted around two pieces of a broken hair brush- Alec barely had the essentials fully intact.

"Let's take turns," Liz called to him, emerging from the short hallway leading into the bathroom door.

"Or you'll pin me to the bed again?" Alec whispered, approaching her, tucking her under his chin and embracing her arms and back. Liz heard him breathe in her scent and she closed her eyes and did the same. He smelled like heavy musk with clean soap, wildness and man- a mix of savage civility. It was an instant aphrodisiac.

"I just might have to," Liz said, rubbing her cheek against his pecs, the hard cut lines of his soldier body purr-worthy.

"When this is all over, we're not leaving the room for a week," he promised and Liz felt an internal shiver as they broke apart, kissing hard once on the mouth, and then snatching up the last of the knives from a box in the corner.

Walking through TC was like walking through a ghost town. Nobody was on the streets, sentinels were posted at every exposed area of gating, and the only noise came from Liz and Alec's footsteps, thudding in a resounding stomp over pavement.

The doors to Command Central were closed, locked, and barred. Alec pounded on the door twice and Liz let her face freeze in calculation. She could feel Adia taking over, the animal inside the woman.

Upon walking in, Liz noted Lydecker and his Xs surrounded by heavy guard, and the ring was empty. A group of young X5s stood tall in straight rows at the bottom of the raised platform. Max, Mole, Joshua, Isabel, King Max, Michael, and someone Liz didn't recognize stood in front of the main computer screen that towered above the rest and an attractive looking blond woman with plump lips, green eyes, and pixie cut hair was arguing with them.

The ranks of young X5s parted for Liz and Alec as they marched up the platform and joined Max.

"Who is she?" the blond on the big-screen asked as Liz took lead beside her sister. It felt natural to fall in line beside her, to stand at the forefront with Michael, Max, and Isabel at her back.

"Asha, this Liz. Liz,this Asha of the S1W- a friend of Logan," Max introduced, her voice harsh.

"Hi," Asha said and Liz stared at her unspeaking. Whoever Asha was, she wasn't important enough to talk to, otherwise she would already know who Liz was.

Turning to her sister, Liz raised an eyebrow, "I thought we were leaving for peace talks."

Max's face was still unhappy, severely unhappy, but she nodded, "We are. Logan's sick, but he's been working with the government trying to find a cure for the virus. He knows the people in power, or he did before he contracted a strain of the virus. Asha is working to set up our meeting with a group of politicians who would side with transgenic rights."

Turning back to the screen, Liz sized up the pretty, little blond. She seemed too normal to be caught up in this, too housewife in the 'burbs for soldier training, too self-important to actually hold power.

"If Logan's contracted the virus, we might not be able to help him," Liz stated. If what Liz had heard was true about the virus that kept Max and Logan apart, than an antigen made from her own blood and Max's would kill him.

"I know."

"And is that problem?" Liz asked only because it looked like it was, from the way the blond had been arguing with Max at her arrival.

"Yes. I won't do this if you can't save Logan. I want a guarantee that he'll be okay. I'm not helping out any more transgenics for nothing anymore. All you do is cause problems," said Asha bitterly. Liz could hear the personal vendetta in her words- Max had better be weary.

If the antigen couldn't help Logan, Liz knew who could. She peered over her should at King Max, standing tall and proud, his eyes only on her. Their gazes touched for a moment and their old connection flared to life; Max still knew her better than most and he nodded his head as she tilted her head back up at the screen.

"I guarantee you a cure for Logan. I know someone who can do it. If I send them to you, you will be following our orders. Correct?" Liz stated, noting the still silence that fell around the platform as Maxie sucked in a tiny breath beside her.

"You mean, Logan will be healed? Like right away?" There was so much hope in Asha's eyes that Liz could relate. She was in love and Logan was her only concern- Liz knew what that felt like, that feeling just doesn't die.

"Yes."

"Then yes."

"Good. We'll get back to you. Give your address to Mole and he'll chart a course from us to Logan. We'll send help within the hour. He'll last that long won't he?" Liz checked as Mole began pulling up area maps and satellite feeds.

"One hour," Asha warned and she gave Mole the coordinates.

"Are you crazy? We can't travel across the country in one hour? And all we have to fix this virus is the antigen. How can you promise her a miracle cure?" asked the man Liz had yet to meet. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and non-descript features. He definitely wasn't a transgenic.

"Liz, this is Ryder Marin. He used to work for Jam Pony, my old job. He's here to help us take down hover drones. His father created the invention," Max filled in, waving a hand at the stranger, and Liz nodded.

"Nice to meet you. Now get out of my way," Liz ordered, attempting to pass him at the ramp leading off the platform toward the ranks. He pulled up short in front of her and Liz felt her nostrils flare before she roughly shouldered passed him, making sure to leave a nice bruise for later.

"Max, we need to set up security around one low rise and get everyone from the infirmary and the surrounding buildings inside. The guard around the gates will need to pack heavy weapons, and Lydecker and his people are going to have to come with us as prisoners. If we leave him here, he'll try to take over our base. Zack should stay on to run Command with Mole, but Joshua is going to lead Sandeman and Lydecker into the talks- he's strong enough to keep the rogues in check," Liz started saying, and then she jerked to a stop when a bright light appeared in the center of the room.

The light vibrated, sending off waves of force that would have caused Liz's knees to buckle out from under her if she had kept walking toward it. A woman- the one she had seen Michael with on Antar- appeared in the center of the beam, and the brightness slowly faded away. She was wearing pale blue robes that were fitted to her obscenely tall stature, and her weirdly placed eyes flicked around the room, settling on the platform behind Liz.

"Michael," she said, stepping forward, and Liz immediately felt her skin glowing, turning translucent and the spark that flared inside her drove her to a height of panic. Flipping forward in assault mode, Liz blocked the woman's advance and grabbed her by the throat, threatening to crush her breathing tube.

"Don't move," Liz warned, voice low and dangerous, an inhuman strength coursing through the words.

"Liz!" Michael shouted from behind her and she felt him approach, allowing her grip to tighten marginally, restricting the flow of blood and oxygen.

"Liz, it's okay! Let her go, she's with us," Michael said in a panic, his hands coming up to grip her own.

"Hey, let her go. Back up," Alec shouted and Liz watched Michael's hands fall away. She had been seconds away from kicking his legs out from beneath him, but she fought the humming inside her body, the glowing of her skin and veins, and released her hold from the woman's neck.

Gasping, the woman fell back from Liz, landing on the floor.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Liz snarled, crouching low beside her.

"Michael?" the woman whispered, reaching out to her side. Lighting quick, Liz unsheathed a thigh blade and held it to the woman's neck.

"Liz, she's from Antar. Let her go. She's my sister," Michael said in a soothing voice.

Pulling back the knife, Liz turned to him. "Sister?"

"Half-sister. She can't harm you, or anyone here. Her powers are defense only- a shield like Max's, some dream-walking like Izzy," Michael rushed, dropping down beside them and tugging the strange looking woman into his arms.

"You have family," Liz whispered before straightening. "Good for you."

"And I'd like it if she made it out of here alive."

"Then get her out of here because it's not going to stay safe," Liz told him, stepping away as he helped her up. But Liz still felt the powers rising up inside of her and she knew that every eye in Command was focused on her.

She glanced up to see Max, so stoic before, gaping open-mouthed at her while Isabel bit her lower lip nervously and whispered about Liz's unnaturalness to her brother (she probably didn't realize that every transgenic in the room heard her talking.)

"What are you?" Lydecker asked, his voice carrying across the length of Command. What was she, good question, but Liz still wasn't sure how her powers factored in to her life.

"Anyone who plans on going with us to the meeting, front and center. Anyone staying behind for security, get to your assigned posts. Everyone else, eyes on the exits. Move!" Max shouted out the orders and Liz rejoined her on the platform, the farther away from Michael's sister she got, the less Liz's skin glowed.

"Liz, when did you start glowing?" Isabel asked as Liz stopped in front of her.

"Around the time you left the planet. Look Max, you and Isabel can do that light-porting thing too, right?" Liz asked.

Max and Isabel nodded.

"Good. Mole, you have those directions yet?"

"Got 'em right here, Liz," Mole said through a mouthful of cigar butt.

"Max, I want you to heal Logan. Isabel, you can either go with him, or you can go with me, or you can leave Earth. Those are you options because anywhere else on Earth, is not going to be safe for you," Liz told them both. She could see the icy façade slip over Isabel's face as she stood a little taller and she could see Max's awed expression turn neutral as he accepted her command.

"I'll go with you, Liz. You might need help," Isabel explained.

"And me?" Michael asked, he and his sister standing at the end of the platform looking up- they had the same colored eyes; even though his sister's were higher up on her forehead.

"You serve the Antarian version of a military right? How would you feel about regulating security around Terminal City?"

Liz noticed the way Michael's chest puffed out and she would have smiled if his sister's sudden nearness hadn't set her skin to glowing again.

"You give me the layout of the city and I'll set up a plan," Michael announced. Liz saluted him briefly- which he returned- and then pointed him in Mole's direction.

"What about me?" asked Michael's sister in a musical tone.

What about her, Liz wondered. Something in her eyes set Liz off, not in a bad way, just in an unfamiliar way. She couldn't explain what she felt, but it was worth exploring.

"If you're staying, you might as well help. Michael will find you something to do," Liz said, turning back to Max who was having a side argument with Ryder.

"You can't go," Liz heard her sister say as Raed appeared at her side. Liz had seen him just minutes before restraining Lydecker after his outburst at Liz.

"But I can help. My dad is the one that created those things, I can disable them. It'll keep you moving faster," Ryder argued.

"Can you move so fast you become a blur? If someone has a gun on you, what can you do? Do you know how to hold a knife? If you're shot, can you still run? No, you can't because you're human. So you can't go, got it?" Liz finished. They didn't need liabilities.

"Look, either I come, or I don't tell you how to disable the hover drones," Ryder stated, crossing his arms over his chest and smiling smugly.

It took all of two seconds for Liz to flip him over the platform and join him on the main floor. His body crumpled, back flat, on the ground, and Liz's booted foot slammed over his windpipe and she pulled a small handgun from the waistband of her pants tucked below the small of her back.

"Say that again?" Liz asked, calm anger imbedded in each word. She eased her boot up enough for him to draw breath and speak.

"You shoot the drone from the top, the memory chip and power reader are under the metal surface above the view finder of the camera," he gasped out.

Liz picked up her foot and then dropped down over him to straddle his waist, the gun coming down to point at his right temple.

"You are an easy target. Get it now? Do you still want to play soldier?" Liz whispered lethally.

"Ease up, Liz," Max ordered and Liz glanced up at her sister, gun poised, and tilted her head.

"He needs to understand how serious this is. Everyone needs to understand how serious this is. If Asha leads us into a trap, our security might now be enough," Liz shouted in her first real display of anger. She hated this mission, she hated this snot-nosed asshole beneath her, and she hated that she couldn't predict what would happen next. They were shooting blind in the dark with these government people, and Liz could still remember her flashes from Max back in Roswell when they kissed and White in all his evil glory standing triumphantly before Max. She could remember every harsh edict, all the commands, and the insanity of Manticore as a child. It had all led here, and now they had to trust the very nation that had created and manipulated them? A heinous plan, but necessary.

Getting to her feet, Liz left Ryder cowering on the floor and took a stand by Alec. He had been instructing the ranks of young X5s in which units they'd be running.

"Liz," Isabel said, and Liz felt and saw as a bright light appeared again in the center of the room.

"I'm leaving," Max said from beside his sister. He had come down the ramp in front of Max and beside Alec , stopping by Liz's side.

"Be careful. Try not to expose yourself more than necessary. And come back here or go back to Antar after you're done. We can't risk exposure- not right now," Liz said. She was being driven by her in alien when her glowing skin came out to touch his shoulder. It was so foreign, but it caused the waves of vibration to concentrate on her hand, and Liz could almost feel Max's thoughts in her mind, and she tried to convey to him her thanks- and somehow it worked. Or it must have because Max staggered back from her and stood in the light, a glowing handprint shinning on his skin, the material on his shoulder disintegrated from her touch. The light beam increased in power and then faded into nothing- King Max of Antar gone with it.

All this abnormal activity filtered in through a haze of non-conventional understanding. Soldiers, Xs, were focused on their tasks, Lydecker and his crew of rogue Xs standing staring at her, and Max was too busy giving orders to the tiny party of people that would leaving Terminal City with them.

"You alright?" Alec whispered to her, standing beside her, leaning against the railing.

"I have to be."

"That was a pretty impressive message."

"I meant it to be."

"That glowing thing, it didn't bring on the other-"Alec began and Liz shot him a look that stopped him. He was about to mention what he had seen that night in the alleyway and Liz did not need to think about that. Because if she were being honest, she wasn't sure if that would be a problem at the peace talk. If she couldn't control that rising spark inside of her, she would have to leave- not just the meeting, but Terminal City. Lydecker was already too interested in her, and if the government found out, who knows how long it would be before aliens were exposed, and she was back to being a lab rat for a secret government organized project.

"We leave in one hour," Liz heard Max say, and she tuned back in.

The hour trickled away slowly as Michael and his sister- Vralia- went over schematics with Mole, Max, Raed, and the late-to-arrive Zack. Zack assured Liz that Maria was safe with Krit and Syl, who would be staying to help guard the low rise, and that the baby was sleeping. He seemed distracted, from Liz's position beside Alec, and that made Liz wonder if he was ready to leave Maria.

Asha came back up on the big-screen and Liz took up the center of the platform with Max and Isabel flanking her, Zack, Alec, and Mole surrounding the control panel.

"I don't know what just happened, or how that guy fixed Logan, but you kept your side of the bargain. A meeting is already in place. I'm sending Mole the location as we speak, and they are ready to listen. Good luck," Asha said and her face blinked out from the camera's view. A beeping sound signaled the arrival of a message going through one of Mole's scrambled proxy servers, and three maps of downtown Seattle came up on the screen. The meeting was in a secluded building off the harbor near the airport. There were four sets of blue prints for the building they were going to enter and Liz realized that there were lower levels that were probably supposed to be on the down-low.

"Alright people, fall in. It's time to get going," Max shouted over the assembled crowd, and Liz joined the ranks- Alec at her side and Isabel just behind her.


	25. Chapter TwentyFive

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a super-solid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

"That was an impressive display, Adia," Lydecker said and Alec's eyes focused his vision to pinpoint where Lydecker marched beside Liz. Her lips were tightened thinly and though he couldn't see her eyes, Alec knew they were would be that deep brown that sparkled with something wild.

"Quiet down," Max ordered from beside Alec and he noted that Raed marched, wordlessly next to her.

"What is it you are exactly?" Lydecker said in stage whisper.

They had been marching for at least ten minutes and they had reached a part of downtown Seattle that Alec had been through many times on his Jam Pony deliveries. The whole feel of this meeting was suspect, so suspicious it was affected in every uniformed movement the ranks made.

"I'm so proud of how far you've come since you were a child- with all your skills and sharper than ever. I remember-" Mid-sentence, Liz broke rank and grabbed Lydecker by his throat with one hand, the other hanging limply, robotically at her side.

"You don't have a right to be proud. Say one more word to me, ever, and I will rip your windpipe out," Liz whispered huskily, a dead look in her eyes and a calm slackness overcoming her features.

A hover drone came up over the roof of the warehouse to their left and dropped down ten feet from Liz. She moved quickly and placed both of her hands firmly on Lydecker's shoulders- a petrified fear frozen in his eyes- levering her weight against him and flipping over his head, landing perched on top of the drone. Her weight brought the drone to the pavement and Alec- much like everyone else- watched as Liz stretched her right leg to the side, grabbed her thigh gun, swung her arm behind her back and shot where her foot had just been. The impact of the bullet shattered the top of the hover drone and blew out smoke while it sparked.

Silence and stillness clung to the moment before Max shook off her surprise and shouted for reformation of the ranks.

"Badass," Jondy said behind him and Alec threw her a smirk over his shoulder. Liz was definitely badass, and it was a lethal brand of sexy.

Boots pounding pavement filled the streets as they filed toward their destination. Several more hover drones appeared and Xs took them down. An innocuous building took form in a hundred yards up and Alec checked to his secured weapons. The plain wood front of the warehouse had a two-door entrance and Max gave the signal to ready. Stepping forward, Alec did the seven door coded knock Mole had gotten from Asha and heard the sound of steps and whispers as static charged the air.

A man dressed to the letter as a military officer opened the door and faced them. His expression was blank, but as Alec moved passed him he could hear the soldier's heart beating irregularly, fast and erratic.

The warehouse had high ceilings with low hanging metal beams and support structures. A twenty foot long black wood table sat toward the back of the room where bright light shone down from fixture that hung low on grey poles from the beams overhead. The sound of the transgenic ranks filing in behind him filled Alec with a familiar rush of confidence- only mildly tamped down by the gun wielding government guards that surrounded the perimeter of the room. When they formed a crowd around the perimeter, transgenics facing the guard surrounding the room, and a uniformed line of backup enforcement around the table of government representatives, Max stepped forward and Liz stepped to her side.

All of the assembled officials were sweating and the thumping of their hearts was like thunder in transgenic ears- they were nervous. Something wasn't right, Alec thought and he felt his senses opening up more sharply, trying to find the discrepancy, the source of his discomfort.

A tall, fierce looking man with general stripes and a buzz cut stood. His decorated metals draped his uniform and pride was etched into his stance as he cleared his throat.

"We're not clear why this meeting is being called, but the United States Armed Forces, FBI, CIA, and HS is present. You are the transgenic representatives?" the buzz cut man asked.

"I represent the transgenics and we have a proposition for you," Max stated, her brows drawn while she kept her stance deceptively open- she was prepared for anything. It was clear from the curl of her fingertips as she twitched her middle finger, signaling for them to stand at the ready.

"A proposition? You want us to work with you freaks?" shouted a man with orange-red hair and a bristly beard and flaring nostrils; his dirt brown eyes creased as he glared. Alec noted the .45 holstered at his waist and bent his right knee, ready to strike if necessary.

"Are you aware that a terminable chameleon virus is spreading through the United States which will kill every person in breathing range?" Max retorted harshly. She slanted the pudgy, red head with a stilting look.

"And how do you know about this virus? Is this a ploy? You create an incurable disease and then offer us a deal to fix it?" asked a man with a SWAT jacket on and an FBI badge hanging from his breast pocket.

"Think again. Does the name Ames White ring any bells? He was a cult leader," Max asserted, watching as the FBI agent reached for something in his pocket. Everyone tensed until he pulled out a notepad and began reading.

"Unknown virus outbreak in New York, Virginia, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and California. It has spread to fifty million people as of yesterday morning and hospitals are overrun with patients. No known antigen exists and the virus is mutating in an unpredictable strain that is chemically incomparable to previous genetic records. There is an estimated three weeks before everyone in the United States and north of Brazil in Mexico will be infected. Two million have already been placed in the ICU, and there is a reported forty-two thousand deaths as of this morning. Is this the virus you are talking about?" asked the FBI agent as a woman in all black and a too-big blazer leaned forward to snatch his pad.

"You aren't supposed to have received these numbers until next week," the woman stated outraged, her long blond braid flipping to and fro as she pocketed the pad.

"Look lady, the FBI knows everything," the man rejoined, also leaning forward.

"Nothing not cleared by Homeland Security, you don't," she countered.

"That call is not yours to make, ma'am. I gave him the information. He needed to be briefed before this meeting. The informant was clear that this was a national matter," a blue-eyed old man stated, rubbing his reddening ears and brushing back some of his white hair. His badge read CIA. Who didn't Asha manage to alert, Alec wondered, impressed.

The blond whipped her braid to the left and glanced at the CIA agent to her right. "You had no right. I told you that this information-" she began and then stopped when the military official slammed a fist against the tabletop and the clatter echoed.

"Let's not turn this into a pissing contest people. Back to the matter at hand. What offer do you have for us?" buzz cut asked, he was sweating profusely now and there was shifting in the ranks- the humans were on edge.

"We have the scientist who worked with this virus and he knows how to create the antibody. We are willing to give you the cure in exchange for immunity. We do not want to be caged, killed, threatened, or harmed in anyway. We won't freedom, the same rights as every other U.S. citizen," Max demanded, her index finger twitching- time to grab a weapon and wait.

Alec's hand slid down to his side and he hooked a finger around the handle of his best knife. Similar movements happened around him as the yelling began again.

"What? Are you on crack or does that brain of yours just not work right? You aren't human. You have no rights," shouted the FBI agent and the female Homeland Security rep. drew a small gun- almost imperceptible in the lighting, but Alec watched her point it at Max only to hear the cocking of another gun. His eyes flashed to Liz and he saw that she had pulled a special and had it trained on the braided blond. Her eyes were fully focused on the military soldier even as her finger tightened just enough to make a warning noise. That's his girl, Alec thought, curbing the urge to smile. A feral part of him snarled with pride.

"At ease," the soldier said and Max signaled everyone to stay while Liz's gun stayed trained on the blond and the blond stood so perfectly still from fear the gun in her hand was frozen. The smell of her fear was an intoxicant of war and the Xs stood uneasily in their silence.

"How do you know that your antibody will work?" the older man asked, compulsively running a hand through his white hair.

"Because I can guarantee it," Sandeman announced, stepping forward, the gentle tick-tick of his walking stick on the floor heralding his movement. He stepped forward with Joshua just behind him, right beside Liz.

"Sandeman?" the CIA man asked. He blinked several times and then rose to get a closer look.

"George," Sandeman said back in greeting, clasping his hand once he was close enough. Liz had tensed when the white-haired man stepped to the side of her, in front of Sandeman, but her trigger finger remained steady and unmoving.

"I'll be damned. I thought you were done for when we were back in 'Nam together. How are you mixed up in all of this?" the CIA man- George- asked Sandeman.

"Manticore," Sandeman said in a booming voice and the room itself took a breath.

"Charles," George whispered, anguished, stress lines appearing on his face.

"Everyone here knows about it. No point pussyfooting old friend. We have something you need, and you have something we need. I have a sample of the cure already prepared and ready to be tested. It is at your leisure that people die now," Sandeman said and he leaned heavily on his stick, waiting.

"This is unprecedented," the blond woman said, her eyes no longer shocked in petrified terror. She lowered her weapon and Liz removed her finger from the trigger, though her gun stayed raised. Alec wondered if it was a light piece, it was a bitch to lock arm muscles for that long, transgenic or not.

"The first in a long line of historical mistakes, I assure you," Lydecker said, voice ringing.

"Colonel Lydecker?" the soldier asked, his tone not altogether surprised though his words were halting.

Liz's face changed in a heartbeat, her body flipping up in the air and backward to land behind Lydecker, her gun reappearing in a blur at his temple as she unsheathed a hidden blade and brought it up and under his left arm, right below his armpit. She had him with a flick of the wrist or a pull of the trigger. The bravery leeched out of him and Lydecker stilled, mouth closed in a crinkled line. Walking them forward, Liz retook her place beside her sister and kept her words to herself. Alec wondered what she was thinking just then.

"This is kidnapping," the soldier shouted, his calm lost as he eyed Lydecker.

"Call it what you will. He attacked us and we reciprocated in kind," Max told him, saying it loud enough for everyone in the room to hear- human and X alike.

"You can't just-" the blond began and Liz shot her a look that cut her short. The smell of her fear returned.

"I think it's pretty clear what we're capable of," Liz said, and Sandeman nodded.

"That thing doesn't even look human," the FBI agent told them, pointing at Joshua.

"He has more humanity than you. Hunting us down because we're different. Is that what America stands for?" Liz asked, her eyes glowing unnaturally, her skin turning transparent slightly, though not altogether noticeably.

"Melting pot my ass," Alec whispered and several transgenics around him smirked having picked up his quiet words.

"Young lady," George started and seeing the fire in Liz's eyes changed tact, "Soldier. We are not here to discuss rights; we are here to talk temporary truce."

"That's not acceptable. That's not good enough," Max replied as Liz moved her gaze to George, within arm's length of her.

"We could rip you apart in less time than it would take you to breathe. Our restraint is our temporary truce. You want to save your ass? Agree to the terms. You want to die while we survive? Okay by me," she told him, a cruel curl tipping her lips and a flash of white tooth shined at George, who looked down at the floor and then back up at Sandeman.

"Be reasonable, Charles," George said to Sandeman and the two exchanged a non-verbal communication.

"I'm sorry, George, but as the old saying goes; all's fair in love and war," Sandeman returned and he sighed.

"And how do we know that you won't give a fake cure?" the FBI agent demanded, pounding a fist on the table as several weapons turned in his direction.

"Same way we trust that you will uphold our rights. We work together and get it all in writing," Sandeman stated, smiling reassuringly.

Silence clung to the air and no other sound penetrated the room. Until a gun went off. A shot rang out and a distinctly human gasp sounded as Sandeman fell, his body pitching forward as George caught his body and blood splattered the floor to Sandeman's right. A gun wound dampening his shirt and his walking stick clattered to the floor.

It happened so quickly everyone acted on instinct. The transgenics grabbed the human soldiers as they took aim and shot- wounding several Xs around the room. The officials were snatched up from their seats at the table and Liz disappeared from Alec's view as he elbowed a human soldier across the face and disarmed him.  
"Do not kill," Max shouted above the dim of battle and the blaring of gun shots lowered a degree as more of the human soldiers were detained and held hostage out of the way of the fight. Lydecker and his transgenics broke free; X6s and X7s rushed them, battling hand to hand.

Crouching low, Alec swept out a leg; two human soldiers fell backward into the struggle occurring behind them. Bunching the muscles in his calves, Alec waited for just the right moment and sprang forward, flipping into the fray before him, heading for where he had last seen Max. He collided with Isabel and his arms wrapped instinctively around her. He saw that the main government officials were already held by Joshua and the other nomalies that had come with them. He couldn't see Liz anywhere.

An explosion in his peripheral vision caught his eye and Alec released a shaking Isabel. Liz hovered midair- left arm clutching a chain wrapped around a high beam and right flung outward toward the exits. The sound of doors rattling shut as they were forcibly slammed shut added to the dim; the sound of crunching bone indicating a body part had been caught in one of the doorways followed by a hollow scream. Her skin shone like pale moonbeams among the low lighting of the warehouse. Those eyes that made him sizzle with lust grew eerily dark, wide and ominous as pure darkness absorbed them.

"Isabel," Liz called and Alec felt Isabel still turgidly beside him. "Create a light-port and get the officials out of here."

Turning his head to the blond, Alec saw her fear, watched as her throat flexed around a swallow. The light humming that Liz's power radiated grew around Isabel, answering the call, and Alec stared dumbstruck for a moment as a five foot circle of purplish light opened up in front of Isabel and to his side. A supernatural wind whirled in the center and the ceiling shook violently above the battle.

"I've never tried to send anyone through," Isabel yelled over the whirlwind sound of the sucking void, "I don't even know if I can send more than one person. Or if they'll make it through."

"Get as many of people through as you can. Liz is new to controlling her powers; there won't be anything left when she's done. You have to try," Alec ordered, pushing shaking humans into the beam and watching as they evaporated with terrified screams right before his eyes. The animal in him was snarling, his fight or flight instinct at war with his urge to survive and his need to complete the mission.

Pain burst from the base of his skull as a blow struck the base of his neck and Alec pitched forward. He landed in a push-up, forcing his hand to take the brunt of the fall. Twisting in a side spiral, Alec land flat on his back and used flat palms to propel him to his feet. Lydecker stood wielding a pair of guns, gleaming in the hue of Isabel's light.

"You failed me, 494," Lydecker told him, face straight and emotionless as blood beaded and flowed from a gash in his right temple- a weak spot.

"You sick son-of-a-bitch, I'll-" Alec started to say but was stopped when Isabel stepped a little to close and Lydecker snatched her up, throwing down one of his weapons as he whirled around, and held the remaining gun to her head. Her eyes widened and Alec watched as she stared at him in fear.

"Pretty little thing. What are you, exactly?" Lydecker asked her, and Alec growled aloud, hunching his back and sneering in response. The shining nuzzle of the gun stroked Isabel's head from temple to neck before affixing to her temple. "I might not be a transgenic or whatever she is, but I'm a good shot and even a human can't miss at this range."

The floor shook suddenly and the walls cracked, beams dropped from above and a hole tore open in the roof. The rebelling Xs were being backed into a corner as the humans finished disappearing into Isabel's light-port. The nomalies followed them and Isabel kept shooting glances at the light. He had to give her an opening.

"You don't want her. Stop hiding and fight me," Alec shouted.

"You forget. I made you; I know what you're capable of. I'm not stupid enough to try and walk out of here without leverage."

Lydecker was backing up to one of the doors in the far corner, dragging a squirming Isabel along with him as Alec advanced. Their progress was the center of attention as the rebels were contained.

"Liz," Alec heard Max shout somewhere out sight and he fought the urge to look.

"Max get Isabel and get out," Alec heard Liz yell from above and his heart beat double-time as Lydecker's eyes settle on something just past right shoulder.

A blur sped between Alec and Lydecker just as Lydecker pulled the trigger. For one frozen moment, Alec thought that Max hadn't been fast enough, that she had been a split second too late, but when the sound died and the blur disappeared, Isabel was gone and Lydecker was pressed flat against the wall beside the door.

"Get out now!" Liz screamed from above and the thunder of footfalls to his right alerted Alec to the ranks fleeting retreat.

His hand came up and around Lydecker's neck, his fingers flexing, readying to kill as he forced Lydecker to drop his last gun. The feel of straining veins pulsing in his palm and the thrilling scent of Lydecker's sweat and fear filled his nostrils as Alec clenched a little tighter, watching the stunned and frightful look enter his prey's eyes.

"Alec, you have to get out! I can't hold its coming. Leave him. He won't survive the blast," Liz cried to him and Alec clamped down on the killing haze that entered his mind. He pulled a knife from his back pocket and thrust it into Lydecker's shoulder, pinning him to the wall, and snarled as he turned to run.

"Rot in hell," Alec shouted over his shoulder and slid in a skid across the floor and into the light-port, feeling a slug bury in his torso unexpectedly as a foreign energy surged through his body and ripped him limb from limb, a scream vibrating in his throat as he looked up and watched Liz explode, her cry deft to him as her eyes met his and the light consumed in, pulling him under as he dissolved.

_**A/N:**_ More coming soon. Two chapters left. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think, EK!


	26. Chapter TwentySix

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.  
**Category:** Roswell/Dark Angel XO  
**Rating:** ADULT  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: **Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a super-solid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

_Exploding is peaceful. It's like taking a deep breath and then blowing it out fast. Liz could feel the moment that she blew apart in every direction. Her eyes had been staring at Alec as he disappeared and it was in that moment, that revelation that he was going to be okay, that her body shuddered. The quiver of it ran from the tips of her toes to the top of her head and then she couldn't see anything at all. She couldn't see the light of the explosion, or watch the shattering of glass, metal and concrete, or the horrified expression on Lydecker's face, but she felt it- with everything inside of her, Liz could feel. _

_ There was no pain. No reel of her life flashed before her eyes; it was as if an inner-calm- foreign to her- overwhelmed her from the inside. Liz wondered if this is what it felt like to die, but it seemed like the opposite, like she was being born in that moment- existing everywhere at once. _

_ She tried to use her voice, but no sound came out. She tried to open her eyes, but she could see nothing. She tried to move her body, but nothing happened. _

_ She tried to hear, and she heard him. No other sounded existed but the sound of his voice. _

_ "She didn't get out, Max. She's gone," his voice was so hollow. Liz wanted to see Alec's face, to touch his arm, to hold him- to kiss him. _

_ "I don't know what you want me to fucking say, Max! She's gone, she's-" Alec's voice broke and Liz heard him sob, felt him shudder. He was so alone, Liz thought, and she tried to reach for him. _

_ "She waited till I was gone. She took Lydecker out with her," Alec said and Liz realized he was right. Lydecker hadn't been able to move when her body gave way to the blast. It seemed like she was listening to a phone call- only getting a one way feed of the conversation. How could she be dead but still hear his voice, feel the warmth of his body. _

_ "I'm sorry, Maxie. I'm-" Alec's voice broke again and Liz could feel the warmth of his tears and the puff of his breath. _

_ A new feeling came over her, like she was being watched, and Liz tried to open her eyes again, and she succeeded. She was in a white space, expanding in all directions. She glanced down at her body and took an alarmed breath when she saw she was naked. Looking around her, she spotted him, sitting on a wooden bench, like the ones in Roswell's Turtle Park. _

_ "Alex?" Liz whispered and the sound of her voice startled her. She couldn't feel Alec anymore, she couldn't hear him- it was as if he disappeared. _

_ A broad smile spilt across Alex's face and Liz took another deep breath. He was the same as he had been the last time Liz had seen him. Shiny dark brown hair, bright white smile, pale skin, insightful doe brown eyes, and a tall, slender frame; he even wore a familiar band tee shirt with jeans. Maybe she was dead now._

_ "Hi Liz," Alex said and the sound of his voice jolted her out of her staring stupor. _

_ "Are you real?" Liz asked. _

_ "Yes. I've missed you, Liz," he said and Liz walked over to his seat, dropped gracelessly into the seat available on the bench and wrapped her arms around him. He was warm and real and here, Liz thought. Her eyes pricked with tears and her nose tickled as she inhaled, trying to hold them off. Dryer-warm clothes sagged over her legs and arms, and with a downward glance, she saw a matching tee shirt covered her top half and gray pants hung in baggy fold around her legs._

_ "I love you, Alex. I'm so sorry," Liz said, head perched on his shoulder. "I couldn't save you. I should have known, I should have done something- but I didn't. And now you're dead and I'm dead and it doesn't matter," Liz murmured. She gave in and cried and her nails dug into his shirt, ripping the cotton and making semi-circle gashes in the gray material. _

_ "Woah, who says you're dead? A guy can't come and visit his best friend?" Alex said, pulling her back to look into her eyes, smile stretching wider. "And Liz, you didn't kill me, so cut the waterworks. Things are supposed to happen a certain way. I thought Kyle had made that clear." _

_ "You saw Kyle?" Liz asked, eyes widening, shining with more unshed tears as she brushed away her tears. _

_ Tilting his head to the side and pursing his lips, Alex nodded, "Yeah. And he told me you'd kicked the guilt trips. I, however, know little Lizzie Parker, and she is one stubborn chick." _

_ "Alex, you don't understand, I'm a-"_

_ "Transgenic super-girl? Yeah, I know. That doesn't make you God, Liz. No wonder you and Max never worked out, you both have God-complexes. Do I look upset, Liz?" Alex asked her and she stared at him. He didn't look upset, he looked relaxed and nerdy, the same as when he was alive. _

_ "But, you and Isabel, you never got the chance to be together," Liz said. Liz thought she had kicked these thoughts, had left them behind when she left Roswell behind and became Adia, super-soldier badass who'd flicked the switch on her emotions. _

_ "You can't flip the switch on emotions, Liz. Isabel and I," he paused with a thoughtful look of confusion. "We wouldn't have worked out anyway. She has a future on Antar and I'm happy for her. Did you know she's engaged?" _

_ Liz's eyebrows shot up on her forehead and she shook her head. _

_ His eyebrows drew together as he looped an arm over she shoulders, "She probably didn't want to tell you because she feels guilty about the whole thing. She keeps praying to me, asking me for guidance. It's really hard to guide the living, Liz, I hope you know that. I have this small window of time with you while your molecules reassemble. Can you tell her for me that I said, it's okay to be with Nafeer and that I like blue moons too? She'll understand." _

_ Leaning her head back against his shoulder, Liz's soft amber eyes looked up into his and she smiled, "I'd do anything for you, Alex. Can you…tell my parents I love them." _

_ That penetratingly pensive stare that had overcome him disappeared into his goofiest smile, "You just did, Liz. We can always hear you when you're talking from the heart. And can I tell you, I'm happy for you, Liz. You deserve a sister like Max and a guy like Alec." _

_ The brightness of the blinding white around them got brighter and Liz felt sore everywhere. _

_ "And Liz, tell Maria that Jillian is beautiful," he whispered as the whiteness of the room started to gleam off his skin and the solidity of the bench faded under them. Liz threw her arms around him and kissed his cheek as he gripped her back and then she was falling. _

Arms flung out at her sides, Liz screamed, her stomach plummeting as she fell. Above head there was a brilliant flash and the sight of metal and roofing met her upward gaze. Cool air rushed in her ears like thunder and her voice was lost to her. Just as she lost her breath, she hit. Her body slammed against two soft yet solid bars.

Her vision hazed and swam and she felt like she was being crushed. She realized she was being held and crushed to a well-muscled chest. Pushing against the person's shoulder, Liz gasped for breath and Alec's beautiful, masculine face came into view.

"Liz," he said. "Are you okay?" His voice was wobbly and his eyes were red and he was bleeding from his right temple.

"You caught me," she whispered, her right hand looped around his neck and her left raised to his cheek.

He nodded; eyes wide with surprise and awe that she had never seen fleck his green eyes. His eyes were dark like a forest of dense trees and shining. His lips were still the perfect kissable shape, but they too were bleeding. She had the strongest urge to trace his lips with her fingertips, and she did, staring at them and then back up into those endless eyes.

"I'm okay. I love you," Liz said and she felt a vulnerability that was new, not like Liz Parker, but somewhere inside of herself a small, soft, sensitive spot had grown and she knew, connecting with his gaze- it was because of him. He had made the soldier in her bend, but he hadn't broken her, a compromise had occurred, and she hadn't even realized it until just then.

The disbelief in his eyes faded and his face drew closer to hers and captured her lips in a strong kiss. His tongue entered her mouth, their teeth banged together, and Liz closed her eyes. Tearing through the film of privacy that separated them, their minds connected.

_Liz falling to the ground at the TC perimeter. _

_ Liz walking up the platform in Command Central for the first time._

_ Liz and Jondy fighting. _

_ Liz slamming her fists against the pavement as it exploded. _

_ Liz lying unconscious in his arms as they returned from their first mission together. _

_ Liz staring at Alec across the pool table in the TC bar. _

_ Liz staring up at Alec as he thrust inside of her. _

_ Liz exploding while hanging from a ceiling chain. _

Gasping, Liz pulled away and realized there was an audible murmur in Command Central, where Alec had caught her from her materialization.

"Liz!" someone shouted and she looked over Alec's shoulder to see her sister Max, Maria, Isabel, Michael, and King Max rushing her way.

"I guess this is the part where I put you down," Alec murmured in her ear, and the warm feel of his breath sent a spike of excitement down her spine.

"Don't you dare," Liz told him, glancing up at him again. "I'm happy where I am."

He smiled. He smiled and she lit up inside seeing it. "You got it, babe."

"Liz, you're okay!" Maria said, skidding to a stop just in front of Liz and Alec as Alec turned to face them beside the ring.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Maria was wearing an oversized lab coat that had blood splattered across it and tears glistening in drying trails on her cheeks. Isabel's robes were torn and dirty and she had tears running down her face. Her sister Max looked like she had been crying, but had settled on a pissed off expression, her delicate eyebrows drawn together in contention. King Max stood beside his sister looking stoic while Michael looked dazed and amazed. They were all standing together staring at her.

"How?" Isabel asked, arms looping with Michael and Max's.

"I don't know," Liz said, shrugging uselessly.

"Liz, I felt you die," Max whispered, staring at her with his deepest look, the one that use to make her toes curl and her hair stand on end.

"Yeah, Parker, I've heard of miracles, but exploding and reappearing?" Michael contributed.

"Shut up, everyone. I want Liz to explain," Max said, her voice booming as she stepped forward and sandwiched Liz in a hug where she hung in Alec's arms. "You scared me," Max whispered and even Liz had a hard time hearing it, but she nodded against Max's shoulder- she had scared herself.

Max backed off and stood beside Maria as Zack came up behind them along with Krit, Syl, and Raed. Raed took up behind Max, hands resting on Max's waist. Liz watched as Max leaned back into Raed, still in their fatigues, and wondered how she had missed that development.

"I did explode," Liz started and her voice felt scratchy in her throat at the confession. "I couldn't see anything or move, but I felt everything and I could hear you, Alec," Liz said, looking up at him again, his arms tensing. "It was like a one way phone conversation that I overheard. You were telling someone what happened to me. And then I couldn't; I went somewhere else. I saw Alex."

At her admission, the pod squad and Maria tensed. They radiated hostility and anxiety, and Liz prayed Alex was listening too.

"Liz, Alex is dead," Max said gently, his face confused and hurt.

"I know, Max, I know. But somehow, I saw him. He said, my body was reforming, so I guess it was…my soul? He said to tell you, Maria, that Jillian is beautiful. And, he said to tell you, Isabel, that he's happy for you and Nafeer and he likes blue moons too," Liz whispered the last and she fought back a grimace as Isabel crumbled in a heap to the floor sobbing.

"No," Isabel cried softly. "He. I just, I don't what to say."

"It is okay, Isabel. He said it's okay to let him go. You have a future on Antar," Liz said, arms wrapped around Alec's neck. She watched Michael lean down and gather Isabel up in his arms, whispering to her.

"I don't understand, still Liz," Max said to her, his hand hovering on Isabel's shoulder for that strength that he always seemed to have ready to give to others. Liz could almost picture him leading a planet, that silent strength and those comforting eyes.

"I don't know that we ever will, but I'm okay now," Liz said and she watched Maria turn to Zack who appeared to be confused, as they hugged.

"I know what happened," Syl said, stepping forward, smiling. "My little sister has stuff to do in this world. We not going to shake her so easy, are we Liz?"

"No," Liz agreed, giving her an honest smile.

"Good," Krit said, pulling Syl back into his side, giving her his own quiet smile. He hadn't changed in that way.

"What happened to everyone who went through the light-port?" Liz asked.

Max, who had gone quiet since she demanded answer out of Liz, straightened up and nodded to the exit, "They made it through to Command. We're attending the wounded in the infirmary and Sandeman is in talks about the antigen as we speak. They've agreed to help us Liz, because of you."

It had worked, the virus would be cured and transgenics would work toward peace. The world would see change, and it was because of her. Liz felt her eyes drooping as she contemplated all the work ahead of them, and she held in a yawn.

"Liz has been through enough. I'm taking her back to our apartment. We'll talk about all this later, okay Maxie?" Alec said above her head and Liz leaned her head against his chest, kissing his throat, the strong corded muscles moving as he spoke.

"What if she's wounded?" King Max asked and Liz flicked her eyes at him and then up to Alec's stony expression. His nostril flared when he was agitated.

"Then I'll take her to the infirmary," Alec said, shouldering past King Max as he went, and Liz let loose her long yawn, tears blurring her eyes in exhaustion.

The air outside Command Central was chilly, but Alec's body radiated warmth through the walk, and Liz closed her eyes. Next thing she knew, Alec was placing her on their soft mattress, and he was slowly stripping her.

Opening her eyes, Liz watched him. She had fallen from the ceiling of Command in a pair of gray pants and a tee shirt- it was the same as Alex's band tee shirt- and nothing else.

"Where did these clothes come from?" Alec whispered up to her, as he tugged the cottony material down her pale legs, and tossed them at the foot of the mattress on the floor.

Yawning even more widely, Liz shrugged; her shoulders were sore, "I think Alex. I really don't know, when I first saw him I was naked, but then they just appeared when I sat down next to him."

"He saw you naked?" Alec asked.

"For like a second," Liz murmured as Alec kissed up on leg and down the other, inspecting her for injuries. They're eyes met and Alec gave her a hard look and then let it fade. "It's not like it was his fault," Liz defended.

Alec nodded and kissed her stomach as he pushed the material of the tee up. Liz half sat up and allowed Alec to pull the top off and throw it on top of the pants. He kissed up her stomach, over her belly button, and briefly paused to kiss each breast. He worked up her neck and down each arm, and Liz moved with the gentle push of his hands as he turned her to inspect her back, kissing her neck as he went.

He pushed her to lie down and stood, quickly shedding his fatigues, and joining her. He faced her to the wall, and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling up the blanket.

"You're perfect," he whispered hotly into her ear, kissing the sensitive spot behind her ear.

"Thank you," she said and felt sleeping tugging at her and tried to fight it. She turned to face him and felt his body heat envelop her. She leaned in and kissed his lips softly. He refused to open his mouth though when she tried to deepen it.

He angled his head away from her and stared into her dark brown eyes and she shivered.

"I just want to hold you. Know that you're real," he told her gently and the timber of his voice touched that soft spot inside as Liz nodded and tears slid down her cheeks and chin and fell on his chest. "Shh, you're with me now."

"I thought I wouldn't see you ever again," Liz whispered. She had tried not to think of the possibility, but it had been there and it haunted her now.

"Me too. But I couldn't let go of the feeling you were with me. I felt like you were there when I was telling Max what happened. But you defy logic, Liz and you're mine. I'm never letting you go," Alec told her and Liz stuttered out a gasp as he kissed her through her tears and she gripped at him tightly. They kissed for so long and when she pulled back Liz smiled at him, wiping her tears off his chest.

"Ever?" Liz asked.

"Ever." And together they fell asleep. Knowing they were tied, forever.

_**Author's Note: **_Alright folks, that is the last chapter before the soon-to-come epilogue! I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I have. It has been a treasure and treat to write this fanfiction and to read my feedback. I will have the epilogue up by Saturday night. Let me know what you think, I value every review. Until Saturday, Egyptian_Kiss!


	27. Epilogue

**Where Loyalty Lies**  
**Disclaimer: I don't own neither Roswell, nor Dark Angel.**  
**Category: Roswell/Dark Angel XO**  
**Rating: ADULT**  
**Pairings: Liz/Alec, Max/Raed, Maria/Zack, Krit/Syl  
Summary: Takes place after series finale of DA and Departure on Roswell- except Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all left for Antar; set in DA timeline. When White and his agents get a trace on Liz they come after her and everyone she knows. Kyle is killed along with her parents and the Sheriff. Fleeing for their lives, Liz takes Maria to the one place she has heard of rebellion, where her sister is the leader of 'their' kind. Nothing is certain, but for a supersolid and her Ordinary friend- loyalty is their only protection.**

**And a special thank you to everyone who reviewed: **

**bunnykim89**

**hana**

**hideher**

**sleepy26**

**Kelsey112**

**JENJEN87**

**wizziewoo123**

**Epilogue**

The clink of metal on metal as Liz slid a new clip into her gun alerted Alec to her location in the warehouse. Today had been pretty shitty- starting with waking up at 0300 to make sure Liz was awake and ready to make the deposit over at Hematech2000, the blood labs that had been handling the cure since the U.S. government signed the Transgenic-American rights amendment to the constitution six months prior. Ever since she went into heat- two weeks ago- Liz had been relying on Alec to wake her up after a night of sating her animal urges. Her heat was lasting longer due to the fact they were now mated. Not that he was complaining.

Maxie had turned into a government liaison on behalf of human-transgenic relations after Terminal City had been bought out as a transgenic preservation, part of the perks of the transgenic amendment. She and Raed had shacked up in a place of their own on the north side of TC, and there wasn't a day that went by Alec didn't have to deal with a smack upside the head or some "sisterly advice" about how to treat Liz. Alec was happy that Liz had Max and things were cool between them- hell he didn't even mind driving them to joint blood lab sessions.

Maria and Zack lived two doors down in the same new building that had gone up in the South end of Terminal City three months ago, and in addition to the joys of baby Jillian (she was a cute butterball even if she could make things levitate), they had chosen to adopt little Michael. Alec wasn't sure about that kid- he was a little weird with his penetrating stare and the way he guarded the building during the day like it was his last stand on Earth- but somehow he fit right in to the Maria-Zack family unit.

Everyone else- OC, Sketchy, Joshua, Krit, Syl, Mole, etc- had scattered to all corners of the city, but somehow, Liz acted like a magnet. Getting her alone had been damned near impossible for the last six months…until her heat hit. And Alec had to admit, the girl was hot. He still got a goofy, perverse grin on his face thinking of the night Liz had come into the TC bar and slammed back a few tequila shots before promptly grinding on him by the pool table while he hustled a couple of Ordinaries who had come into the city for a little action. That night he and Liz had steamed up the windows in their apartment and broke the sound barrier.

Life had settled down in a way. Almost made things seem normal.

A bullet whizzed past his head as he ducked and rolled behind a tower of crates and pulley ropes near the back door leading out onto the maid road in uptown Seattle. Glass shattered in the din and Alec did a kneeling spin kick, his foot coming to rest in someone's grip- the someone who had come through the back window ten feet behind him.

"Cool your shit, Alec. I got this," whispered back that annoyingly cocky voice. Redo, a new X6 that had joined up with the Terminal City transgenics a couple months after the laws protecting them went into affect, had been an obnoxious thorn in his side. The kid was maybe nineteen and a self-proclaimed ladies man- and a big pain in the ass. He stood short at five ten, and had a pretty boy-band look to his face, with shoulder length blood hair that made Alec wish for a pair of scissors. He couldn't shake the feeling, but he felt like he knew the kid somehow.

"You got what munchkin? There are six sharp shooters and a psycho strapped to the nines with bombs. We have three of our best here, not to mention me. Why don't you take a walk and let the big boys take care of it," Alec taunted and he had to duck as a dagger flew end over end between the crates and imbedded itself in the far wall.

"And miss the fun? What kind of X do you think I am?" Redo said with a mocking smile, his brows lifting playfully. "So is Liz here?"

And that was another thing. Redo had this thing for Liz and Alec swore to whoever was listening, that he was going to castrate the kid and feed him the leftovers if he looked at Liz's ass one more time. Just one, Alec thought viciously.

A bright light shot up in the middle of the warehouse and Alec knew it was time to move. Grabbing Redo by the back of his shirt collar, he dragged him out from behind their cover and shot off a round directly facing two armed men. They went down with the dull thud associated with falling bodies, and the beast inside purred, even as he ignored Redo's protests about manhandling him.

Liz stood near the light-port, sweat shining off her face, eyes blacked out from the pupil, and gun trained. She had the guy wired with enough C4 to take out a city block in one hand and her gun in the other pressing coolly against his temple.

"Liz, babe, what'd I say about doing the heavy lifting?" Redo shouted and Alec jerked his collar until he made a chocking noise. He didn't know why he had to put up with this kid.

"Be a good boy and get in the light," Alec told him, shoving him face first into the stream of teleportation, watching with satisfaction as Redo fell and was promptly suctioned away.

"Jealous?" Liz teased him and Alec turned to face her. She had let her hair grow out in the last few months and she even wore dresses from time to time (though the first time she did he had teased her to the point she'd nailed his palm to the TC bar top with a short sword).

"Have you seen you? Hell yeah, I'm jealous. How many more of our guys are here?"

"Two, but they're being held hostage. You take care of them and I'll deal with this. He's two minutes to blowing and I still have to find a pair of pliers," Liz responded and Alec reached into his back pocket and waved a pair of pliers in her direction before walking to her and slipping them in her front pocket with a kiss on the cheek.

"Be careful. I know we're going to visit your friends from "up north" next month, but I'd rather take a spaceship," Alec whispered in her ear, watching that sexy smile of hers spread across her face.

"Just go," Liz told him with a roll of her eyes. Alec looked at the guy she was holding, a nerdy scientist who'd tipped off a few rebels with transgenic issues to their little visit and was now stuck in the awkward position of being a human sacrifice for a group of fanatics.

Finding cover again, Alec closed his eyes and listened. He heard each heartbeat in the room and found who he was looking for. Opening his eyes, he pulled a handgun from his waistband and a hand blade from his boot; he carefully moved around one tower of boxes to another. Slowly he approached them listening to the sound of their hearts and once he was close enough he heard them breathing.

Taking a cautious peek around the right side of the boxes to his left, he spotted two unconscious men and two wearing all black with ski masks to cover their faces. Pulling his arm back, Alec hefted the weight of the dagger and after a brief pause, he let it fly. It whistled through the air and went through the masked-man on the left's sternum. He waited for the panic to set in and when the masked-man left standing turned with his AK-47 to shoot the unconscious men on the floor, Alec took aim and without a pause triggered the handgun- two quick, successive shots to the lower spine.

He heard Liz shout the all clear as he hefted the unconscious men and staggered back to the middle of the room where Liz stood waiting for him. The scientist she's disarmed slumped unconscious at her feet.

"Damn it, Liz, I can't carry all three of them," Alec said as he puffed out a breath and dropped his load.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and pulled out a hair band from her pocket, tying back her hair, and then grabbed her charge by the wrist and tugged him into the light-port, sticking her tongue out at Alec once inside the beam before she disappeared. Sighing, Alec knew she was going to tease him about this whole thing later, and he reloaded his arms with the dead weight of their allies before following.

They appeared in some back alley on the outer area of the Seattle outside Terminal City. Liz was handing off her scientist to Redo- who smugly winked at him before pecking Liz on the cheek with a "you're welcome."

"So not necessary," Alec murmured and Liz, who had overheard him, rolled her eyes and offered to take one of the men he was carrying. "I can handle it."

"Oh don't get all upset. The scientist touched my ass, he's lucky all I did was knock him out," Liz replied. She petted his hair and smoothed a hand down the back of his neck and gave him one of her sweet smiles.

Redo came back a moment later and Alec practically threw his load at the kid, "Here. Make yourself useful, Squirt."

"Sure thing, Dick," said Redo and Alec sneered at him while Liz laughed.

Linking her arm through his, Liz pulled him toward the main roads and Alec let her.

"He's just got hero envy. You should be nicer," Liz told him and Alec gritted his teeth.

"He's got he hots for my honey. I'll cut him some slack when he learns to control the wondering eyes," Alec said and he pulled Liz to a stop at the street corner of the busy intersection. A news stand stood behind them and he paused to peruse the Seattle Times. A picture of Max and Sandeman shaking hands with the President of the United States on the cover.

"Don't be jealous cause your honey only has the hots for you," Liz said back and she picked up the National Inquirer and flashed it at him. There was a picture of a flying saucer on the front page and the title "Are Aliens Among Us too?"

"King Max sure knows how to make an impression on the media," Alec retorted. A lot had changed in America, a lot had changed in the world thanks to them. King Max- or King Asshole as Alec so fondly referred to him- was even now preparing for intergalactic peace talks. Alec wasn't sure what the future would bring but when he was with Liz, that all seemed unimportant.

Tugging Liz up to his lips for a long wet kiss. When they separated, Liz smiled another sexy smile at him and his gut turned and his insides started to heat up.

"So what does a girl who saved the world have to say to her fiance?" Alec asked, letting his own smile start to appear.

"I love you," Liz stated and he felt a flash of arousal when she grabbed his ass in two cupping hands.

"Short and sweet, just like you," Alec teased, his grin full blown.

Her face flushed red and Alec had come to love Liz for it- those moments when he got her riled up and the fight inside of her reddened her cheeks, putting that extra fire in her eyes. Everyday he came to love something more about her.

"I'm not short." He chuckled,.

"Next to me you're pint sized," he told her. He waited for it and when she drew back a hand to smack him, he grabbed her wrist and twisted her around, drawing her back into his chest with a peck to the top of her head. "And I love you too."

"Well okay then," Liz said, tilting her head back against his chest and staring up at him. "Now take me home and show me just how much.

And without a backward glance, knowing that all he needed in the world was in his arms, he did just that.

**The End**

_**Author's Note: **_Thank you so much to everyone who has read Where Loyalty Lies. I enjoyed writing it and I have enjoyed all the feedback. Enjoy. Egyptian_Kiss!


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